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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. pit — a fruit stone
  2. march — music
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. kick — in football
  6. field — a subject
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. rash — a series
  9. bore — to tire
  10. game — wild animals
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pit — a hole
  14. march — the month
  15. bore — to drill
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. game — a match
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. march — the month
  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