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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: drill · suit · mine · calf · charge · track · chair · straw

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chair — a leader
  4. track — a song
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. suit — to fit
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. charge — in control
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. suit — in cards
  14. suit — clothes
  15. track — a path
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — electricity
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. drill — a practice
  24. mine — for digging

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