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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. field — farmland
  6. scale — in music
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. march — music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. field — a subject
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. march — the month
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. field — for sport
  20. march — the month
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. lie — to recline
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. lie — an untruth

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