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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rash — a series
  5. can — a tin
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. can — a tin
  9. row — to paddle
  10. can — to be able to
  11. perch — the fish
  12. field — a subject
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. field — farmland
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. row — a line
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — final
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. last — finally
  24. rash — hasty

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