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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cap — of ice
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. board — a committee
  10. bat — the animal
  11. board — to get on
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. track — a song
  20. roll — a cake
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cap — a hat
  23. roll — a list
  24. bat — in an idiom

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