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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. firm — steady
  4. club — for dancing
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. firm — decided
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bat — the animal
  9. firm — a company
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. club — for golf
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. field — farmland
  19. club — a group
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. field — a subject

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