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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. game — a match
  4. field — a subject
  5. band — a ring
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bore — to tire
  9. game — wild animals
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. field — for sport
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. band — a music group
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bore — to drill
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. field — farmland
  24. hide — to keep secret

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