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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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. saw — the tool
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. content — the amount
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. pit — in a race
  15. track — a song
  16. content — happy
  17. row — a line
  18. saw — the tool
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — a signal
  24. pit — a hole

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