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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. field — farmland
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. tear — to rip
  5. present — there
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. field — a subject
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. present — the time now
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. field — for sport
  15. pound — a weight
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. can — to be able to
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. pitch — completely
  21. stand — to bear
  22. present — a gift
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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