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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. field — farmland
  4. pop — to visit
  5. scale — size or range
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. court — for sport
  9. foot — a measure
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. field — for sport
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. court — of a king
  18. pop — soda
  19. court — of law
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. branch — a division
  22. pop — music
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. scale — in music

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