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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 116 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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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: fall · sharp · kick · bay · stem · track · band · chair

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fall — the season
  5. chair — a leader
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stem — to come from
  10. track — a song
  11. band — a music group
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. sharp — clever
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. fall — to drop
  20. track — a path
  21. kick — in football
  22. track — to keep track
  23. band — a ring
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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