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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. spell — a short time
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. object — a thing
  5. stock — shares
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. swing — to play on
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. object — to protest
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. saw — the tool
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. spell — letters
  17. field — a subject
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. spell — magic
  20. stock — goods
  21. swing — music
  22. field — for sport
  23. object — an aim
  24. swing — in golf

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