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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cue — a hint
  3. tear — to rip
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cue — a signal
  7. foot — a measure
  8. spell — letters
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. spell — magic
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. drill — a practice
  13. tear — from crying
  14. spell — a short time
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. field — farmland
  17. drill — army training
  18. field — a subject
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. drill — the tool
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cue — for pool

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