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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. net — after costs
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. net — in sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. pass — a permit
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — of a word
  17. net — for catching
  18. field — for sport
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. field — farmland

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