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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. saw — the tool
  3. chip — for betting
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pop — music
  6. court — of a king
  7. track — a path
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. pop — soda
  10. chip — to eat
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. track — to keep track
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. court — for sport
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. prune — to trim
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. court — of law
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. track — a song
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bark — to shout

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