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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. cell — in biology
  3. firm — steady
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. branch — a division
  7. last — finally
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. last — to go on
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. track — to keep track
  13. firm — decided
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. mark — a grade
  16. last — final
  17. firm — a company
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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