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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. field — for sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. field — a subject
  6. rock — music
  7. content — the amount
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. field — farmland
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. key — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. content — happy
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pitcher — a jug

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