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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. mine — for digging
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. present — the time now
  6. rock — music
  7. court — for sport
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. field — for sport
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. court — of a king
  12. firm — steady
  13. rock — a stone
  14. present — there
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. firm — a company
  19. court — of law
  20. field — a subject
  21. firm — decided
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. present — a gift

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