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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. field — for sport
  3. snap — to click
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. field — a subject
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. race — humankind
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. race — a contest
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. race — the arms race
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. field — farmland
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a song

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