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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. spell — magic
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. track — a song
  8. foot — a measure
  9. spell — letters
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pass — a permit
  14. track — a path
  15. spell — a short time
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wound — an injury
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. row — a line
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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