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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. track — a path
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. track — to keep track
  5. drill — a practice
  6. can — a tin
  7. pop — music
  8. clip — a video
  9. pop — to visit
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. clip — for paper
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. can — a tin
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. track — a song
  18. clip — to cut
  19. drill — the tool
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. drill — army training
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. can — to be able to

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