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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. field — for sport
  5. ground — the earth
  6. field — a subject
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. bear — the animal
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. scale — in music
  12. race — humankind
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — a position
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. race — the arms race
  18. craft — a skill
  19. scale — size or range
  20. race — a contest
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bear — the animal
  23. field — farmland
  24. bear — to put up with

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