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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. track — a song
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. lean — thin
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. root — of a plant
  8. last — finally
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. last — to go on
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. track — a path
  19. lean — to bend
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. rule — government
  23. calf — a young animal
  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