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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 120 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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rule — a law
  6. object — a thing
  7. game — wild animals
  8. pop — music
  9. object — to protest
  10. track — a path
  11. staff — employees
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. rule — government
  18. object — an aim
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. track — a song

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