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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: firm · track · season · racket · calf · mark · mine · arm

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. mark — a grade
  6. track — to keep track
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. track — a path
  12. season — in sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. firm — decided
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. firm — steady
  24. firm — a company

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