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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 · last · bowl · coach · wake · hand · perch · calf

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. track — to keep track
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. track — a song
  9. hand — help
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. last — final
  13. perch — the fish
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. track — a path
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wake — a trail
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wake — before a funeral

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