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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 116 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. mug — a cup
  6. rash — hasty
  7. field — farmland
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. field — a subject
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mug — a face
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. sharp — clever
  15. field — for sport
  16. rash — a series
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. tear — to rip
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. mug — to rob
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rash — on the skin

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