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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. track — a song
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. object — to protest
  5. bass — low music
  6. track — a path
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. current — electric
  10. object — an aim
  11. track — to keep track
  12. object — a thing
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. date — the fruit
  16. current — of water
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bass — the fish
  19. face — to confront
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. current — happening now
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bass — the instrument

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