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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. season — in sport
  11. field — for sport
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. field — farmland
  16. lean — thin
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. season — of the year
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. land — a country
  23. pass — a permit
  24. lean — to bend

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