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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  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. rule — a law
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. field — farmland
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. stand — to bear
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. field — for sport
  10. rule — government
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. field — a subject
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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