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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: track · calf · lie · bowl · pop · field · spell · rest

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. track — to keep track
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pop — music
  5. spell — a short time
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. pop — soda
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. track — a song
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pop — to visit
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. track — a path
  18. rest — a break
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. field — a subject
  21. lie — to recline
  22. spell — letters
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. spell — magic

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