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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. rest — a break
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. track — to keep track
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rest — what's left
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. track — a path
  13. game — a match
  14. track — a song
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rest — what's left
  22. game — wild animals
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wake — a trail

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