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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. field — for sport
  8. cap — a hat
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bat — the animal
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. fine — all right
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. cap — of ice
  21. field — a subject
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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