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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rest — a break
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — an aim
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rest — what's left
  13. foot — a measure
  14. object — a thing
  15. field — farmland
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. field — for sport
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. plane — a tool
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. field — a subject

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