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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. net — in sport
  3. field — for sport
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. mug — a face
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a cup
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. kick — in football
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. net — for catching
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — child
  19. mate — a partner
  20. net — after costs
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. mate — to breed

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