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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 116 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. track — to keep track
  4. present — a gift
  5. track — a path
  6. rash — a series
  7. mate — a partner
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rash — hasty
  11. drill — a practice
  12. track — a song
  13. mate — to breed
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. present — there
  21. present — the time now
  22. drill — army training
  23. wound — an injury
  24. kick — with a leg

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