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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 120 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bass — low music
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bass — the fish
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pit — in a race
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. fall — the season
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. track — to keep track
  22. scale — in music
  23. pit — a hole
  24. fall — to drop

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