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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: kid · nail · cold · spell · calf · bore · game · track

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  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. calf — of the leg
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bore — to drill
  5. cold — an illness
  6. track — a song
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. track — a path
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. cold — not warm
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. spell — letters
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kid — to tease
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a match
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. kid — child
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. calf — a young animal
  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