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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 120 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: calf · cap · bass · row · racket · chest · track · stand

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cap — a lid
  4. track — a song
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. cap — a hat
  8. chest — of your body
  9. track — a path
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. chest — a box
  13. cap — of ice
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. row — to paddle
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bass — the fish
  21. stand — to bear
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. chest — of your body

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