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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: spell · present · degree · last · track · calf · clip · toast

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. last — finally
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. spell — letters
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. last — to go on
  8. track — to keep track
  9. degree — an amount
  10. spell — a short time
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — from a university
  13. track — a song
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. present — there
  16. clip — to cut
  17. spell — magic
  18. clip — for paper
  19. last — final
  20. toast — bread
  21. present — a gift
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. track — a path
  24. clip — a video

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