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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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. plane — in geometry
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. field — a subject
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. spring — the season
  8. field — for sport
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. pit — a hole
  11. mark — a trace
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. spring — a coil
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pit — in a race
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a grade
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. spring — of water
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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