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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 120 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: pop · wind · ruler · game · calf · row · stick · track

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. pop — to visit
  4. track — a path
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pop — soda
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. track — to keep track
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. track — a song
  16. row — to paddle
  17. wind — moving air
  18. game — a match
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pop — music
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. calf — a young animal

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