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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. foot — a measure
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. field — farmland
  11. capital — a city
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. capital — money
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — a phone
  16. field — for sport
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. field — a subject
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — to protest
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. object — an aim

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