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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. row — to paddle
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. track — to keep track
  7. tube — a container
  8. land — a country
  9. ball — a great time
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. spell — letters
  14. land — to come down
  15. track — a path
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. ball — a dance
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. row — a line
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. land — ground
  24. leaves — lets stay

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