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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. track — a song
  8. staff — employees
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. staff — a stick
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. staff — employees
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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