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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. field — a subject
  3. squash — to crush
  4. field — for sport
  5. squash — the sport
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bound — certain
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. hand — help
  12. last — finally
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. last — final
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. last — to go on
  20. field — farmland
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. current — happening now
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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