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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. game — a match
  7. field — farmland
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — a grade
  10. field — for sport
  11. chip — for betting
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. game — wild animals
  16. chip — to eat
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. land — to come down
  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