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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 116 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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rest — a break
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. lean — thin
  6. field — farmland
  7. net — for catching
  8. spell — letters
  9. net — in sport
  10. current — happening now
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spell — magic
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. spell — a short time
  16. current — of water
  17. rest — what's left
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. rest — what's left
  21. current — electric
  22. lean — to bend
  23. net — after costs
  24. field — a subject

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