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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. file — a tool
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. face — to confront
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rash — a series
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. race — a contest
  14. track — a path
  15. file — a document
  16. race — humankind
  17. scale — size or range
  18. file — a line of people
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. scale — in music
  22. rash — hasty
  23. race — the arms race
  24. face — to point toward

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