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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. hand — in cards
  4. suit — clothes
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. hand — help
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. track — a song
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bound — obliged
  12. track — a path
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. root — of a word
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. suit — in cards
  17. root — the cause
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. root — of a plant
  24. suit — to fit

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