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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. shower — rain
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. field — farmland
  5. bank — for money
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. cap — of ice
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bank — of a river
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. field — a subject
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bank — for money
  19. cap — a hat
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. shower — to wash
  23. kick — in football
  24. cap — a lid

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