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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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. swing — to play on
  3. firm — steady
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mug — a face
  6. swing — music
  7. band — a music group
  8. mug — a cup
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. firm — a company
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rule — government
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. swing — in golf
  16. rule — a law
  17. firm — decided
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. band — a ring
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. mug — to rob
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pitcher — a jug

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