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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mate — a partner
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. field — for sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mate — to breed
  14. rock — a stone
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. wake — a trail
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. field — a subject
  21. mate — a friend
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. field — farmland
  24. racket — for tennis

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