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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. track — a song
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. field — a subject
  7. bear — the animal
  8. clip — for paper
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. track — a path
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bear — the animal
  15. field — farmland
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — to drill
  19. clip — a video
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. board — a committee
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. board — to get on
  24. field — for sport

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