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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 116 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. hand — in cards
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. rash — hasty
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. drill — the tool
  8. track — to keep track
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bear — the animal
  17. track — a song
  18. hand — help
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rash — a series
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. drill — army training
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. rash — on the skin

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