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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: calf · game · track · craft · date · snap · drill · bore

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. track — to keep track
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. track — a path
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. snap — to click
  12. date — the fruit
  13. track — a song
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. craft — a skill
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. drill — the tool
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — army training
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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