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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. track — a path
  3. charge — a price
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. track — a song
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. vault — a safe
  12. row — a line
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. charge — in control
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. charge — electricity
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. track — to keep track

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com