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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 120 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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. track — a path
  4. plane — a tool
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. field — a subject
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. field — farmland
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. field — for sport
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wake — a trail
  20. track — a song
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. straw — dry grass

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