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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. track — a path
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. bore — to drill
  5. field — a subject
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bark — to shout
  16. track — a song
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. field — farmland
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — all right

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