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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. ground — a position
  3. row — to paddle
  4. ground — crushed
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. sharp — clever
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. ground — the earth
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. row — a line
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. track — to keep track
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. track — a song
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. kick — in football

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