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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. scale — size or range
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. shower — rain
  9. game — wild animals
  10. net — for catching
  11. scale — in music
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bark — to shout
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. shower — to wash
  19. game — a match
  20. net — in sport
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. net — after costs

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