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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. field — farmland
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chair — a leader
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. field — for sport
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. field — a subject
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mine — for digging

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