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

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. wound — an injury
  4. key — in music
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. wound — an injury
  8. file — a line of people
  9. field — a subject
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — a price
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. charge — electricity
  16. file — a tool
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. file — a document
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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