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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.

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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. field — a subject
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. march — music
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. mate — a friend
  9. march — the month
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mate — to breed
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. march — the month
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. court — for sport
  16. sharp — clever
  17. court — of law
  18. drill — a practice
  19. mate — a partner
  20. drill — army training
  21. court — of a king
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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