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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — a gift
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. field — for sport
  9. present — there
  10. charge — in control
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. sharp — clever
  17. dip — to sink
  18. charge — electricity
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. charge — a price
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. hand — in cards

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