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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cap — a lid
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. cap — of ice
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. game — wild animals
  9. track — to keep track
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. game — a match
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. tear — from crying
  16. track — a song
  17. spell — magic
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. spell — letters
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cap — a hat
  22. deal — to handle
  23. spell — a short time
  24. temple — side of the head

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