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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 124 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. face — part of the head
  5. season — of the year
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. field — farmland
  8. face — to point toward
  9. mug — to rob
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mug — a face
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. face — to confront
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. field — for sport
  20. bear — the animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mug — a cup
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. season — in sport

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