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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. game — a match
  5. key — the most important part
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bark — to shout
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. key — for a lock
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. track — a path
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. track — to keep track
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. key — in music
  21. track — a song
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fine — all right
  24. game — wild animals

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