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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. march — music
  4. bound — tied together
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bound — certain
  10. degree — from a university
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. track — a song
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. degree — an amount
  16. march — the month
  17. lean — thin
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lean — to bend
  20. degree — temperature
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bound — obliged
  24. march — the month

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