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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 116 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bass — low music
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cell — a phone
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. track — to keep track
  18. last — to go on
  19. track — a song
  20. last — final
  21. cell — in biology
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. last — finally
  24. track — a path

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