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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. band — a ring
  3. bear — the animal
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. track — a song
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pop — soda
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. pop — to visit
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. pop — music
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. band — a music group
  24. rush — hurry

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