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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. squash — to crush
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. object — an aim
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. march — music
  8. squash — the sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. object — to protest
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — a stone
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. net — for catching
  17. march — the month
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. net — after costs
  21. march — the month
  22. net — in sport
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. object — a thing

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