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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. track — a path
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. track — to keep track
  5. mate — a partner
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. mate — a friend
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mate — to breed
  14. hand — help
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. game — wild animals
  17. track — a song
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. hand — in cards
  21. game — a match
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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