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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. snap — to click
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pit — in a race
  13. stock — shares
  14. track — a path
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. file — a tool
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pit — a hole
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. stock — goods
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. leaves — to go away

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