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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. sharp — clever
  3. rock — a stone
  4. wound — an injury
  5. kick — in football
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. field — a subject
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. field — farmland
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. court — of a king
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rock — music
  22. field — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. wound — an injury

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