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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. pop — to visit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. board — to get on
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. field — a subject
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. band — a music group
  13. board — a committee
  14. date — the fruit
  15. band — a ring
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pop — music
  18. field — farmland
  19. pop — soda
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. field — for sport
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. band — a rubber band

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