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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. track — to keep track
  3. net — after costs
  4. ball — a great time
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. tear — from crying
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. ball — a dance
  9. land — ground
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. land — a country
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. suit — to fit
  15. net — in sport
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. land — to come down
  20. net — for catching
  21. cell — a phone
  22. suit — in cards
  23. suit — clothes
  24. ball — a round shape

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