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

Word bank: safe · track · mate · bay · chest · wound · calf · ruler

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chest — of your body
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. chest — a box
  11. track — a path
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. track — to keep track
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. track — a song
  16. mate — to breed
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mate — a partner
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. safe — out of danger

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