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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. track — to keep track
  3. drill — the tool
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cue — for pool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rock — music
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. drill — army training
  12. hand — in cards
  13. mine — for digging
  14. track — a song
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cue — a signal
  17. track — a path
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. rock — a stone
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cue — a hint
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. sharp — clever

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