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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. field — a subject
  3. drill — army training
  4. last — final
  5. field — for sport
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mark — a grade
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. field — farmland
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mark — a trace
  17. last — to go on
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. last — finally
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. drill — the tool
  24. coach — a trainer

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