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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. field — for sport
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pit — a hole
  7. scale — in music
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. field — farmland
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. field — a subject
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. scale — size or range
  24. pit — in a race

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