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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: ball · calf · game · snap · cell · mouse · swing · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — a phone
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. swing — music
  13. ball — a dance
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. snap — to click
  17. game — a match
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. ball — a great time
  20. track — a song
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. game — wild animals
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — in golf

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