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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · pit · bat · nail · calf · rock · land · mark

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mark — a trace
  5. rock — music
  6. pit — a hole
  7. land — to come down
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. land — ground
  15. rock — a stone
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a grade
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. pit — in a race
  23. land — a country
  24. nail — for a hammer

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