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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. fall — to drop
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. fall — the season
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. fall — to drop
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. field — farmland

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