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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. foot — a measure
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. sharp — clever
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. track — a path
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. cap — a hat
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — in music
  12. cap — of ice
  13. track — to keep track
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. cap — a lid
  18. track — a song
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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