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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. field — farmland
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. field — for sport
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wake — a trail
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — to eat
  14. land — ground
  15. tube — a container
  16. land — a country
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. field — a subject
  21. tube — the underground
  22. land — to come down
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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