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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: game · ball · deal · mine · track · nail · calf · perch

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. track — to keep track
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. ball — a dance
  13. mine — for digging
  14. perch — the fish
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. track — a song
  19. game — wild animals
  20. ball — a great time
  21. deal — to handle
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. track — a path

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