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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. tube — a container
  3. suit — to fit
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. suit — in cards
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. suit — clothes
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. tube — the underground
  10. scale — size or range
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. court — of law
  13. fine — all right
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. scale — in music
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. court — for sport
  22. fine — high quality
  23. court — of a king
  24. straw — dry grass

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