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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. bass — low music
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. spring — the season
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bass — the fish
  12. spring — a coil
  13. stand — to bear
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pound — a weight
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. object — a thing
  18. field — farmland
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — an aim
  21. bat — the animal
  22. spring — of water
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pound — to hit hard

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