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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. land — ground
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. row — a line
  10. mark — a grade
  11. land — a country
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. row — to paddle
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. land — to come down
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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