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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. track — to keep track
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pound — a weight
  7. spell — magic
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. track — a path
  16. spell — a short time
  17. ball — a great time
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bark — to shout
  20. toast — bread
  21. spell — letters
  22. track — a song
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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