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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. track — to keep track
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. degree — temperature
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. march — the month
  12. pit — a hole
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. track — a song
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pit — in a race
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. degree — from a university
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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