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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
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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: ground · track · foot · game · calf · deal · cue · chest

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. chest — of your body
  3. track — a song
  4. game — wild animals
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. cue — a hint
  9. track — to keep track
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. ground — crushed
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. ground — the earth
  15. foot — a measure
  16. track — a path
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. ground — a position
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. cue — a signal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cue — for pool

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