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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. clip — for paper
  7. content — happy
  8. track — a song
  9. content — the amount
  10. clip — a video
  11. fork — in a road
  12. track — a path
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — a trail
  20. pit — a hole
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. clip — to cut
  24. mouse — for a computer

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