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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: calf · mine · perch · lie · track · drill · pitch · row

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. lie — to recline
  4. drill — army training
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. perch — the fish
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pitch — completely
  10. track — a song
  11. row — a line
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. track — to keep track
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. drill — the tool
  20. mine — for digging
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. track — a path
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. perch — for a bird

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