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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 120 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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. land — to come down
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. land — a country
  5. band — a music group
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. firm — steady
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. field — for sport
  12. firm — a company
  13. foot — a measure
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. field — farmland
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. firm — decided
  19. kick — in football
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. band — a ring
  22. land — ground
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. field — a subject

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