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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: bat · track · calf · scale · bore · leaves · cap · chest

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a path
  3. scale — size or range
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. cap — a lid
  6. scale — in music
  7. chest — of your body
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. chest — a box
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bore — to drill
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bore — to tire
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cap — of ice
  23. track — a song
  24. leaves — lets stay

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