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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. ground — the earth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. track — to keep track
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. track — a song
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. leaves — of a tree

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