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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. field — farmland
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. saw — the tool
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pitch — completely
  13. field — a subject
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. spell — letters
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. saw — the tool
  21. field — for sport
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. patient — a sick person

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