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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. mine — for digging
  5. field — for sport
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. season — in sport
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — all right
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. perch — the fish
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. field — farmland
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. game — a match
  22. season — of the year
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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