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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. firm — a company
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. field — for sport
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — bread
  7. snap — to click
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. clip — a video
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. firm — decided
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. clip — to cut
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. firm — steady
  20. clip — for paper
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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