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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. wake — a trail
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. field — a subject
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. last — final
  15. field — for sport
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — music
  21. field — farmland
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. calf — a young animal

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