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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. march — music
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. march — the month
  5. squash — to crush
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bound — certain
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. field — a subject
  10. degree — from a university
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bound — obliged
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. squash — the sport
  18. degree — temperature
  19. field — for sport
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. march — the month
  23. bound — tied together
  24. calf — a young animal

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