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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. field — for sport
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pop — soda
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. chest — of your body
  12. ball — a great time
  13. chest — a box
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. fork — in a road
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — to visit
  20. field — farmland
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. capital — a big letter
  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