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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: perch · drill · calf · track · roll · face · ball · bat

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. track — to keep track
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. ball — a dance
  9. face — part of the head
  10. roll — a list
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. face — to confront
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bat — the animal
  15. face — to point toward
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. drill — a practice
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. ball — a great time
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. calf — a young animal

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