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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pound — a weight
  3. capital — a city
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. capital — money
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bear — the animal
  13. field — a subject
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. mate — a friend
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. field — farmland
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. toast — bread
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. mate — to breed
  24. lash — to lash out

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