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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. key — in music
  12. spring — the season
  13. track — a path
  14. board — to get on
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — the most important part
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. spring — a coil
  21. kid — to tease
  22. spring — of water
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. board — a committee

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