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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. field — for sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. face — to confront
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mark — a trace
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. field — farmland
  14. wind — moving air
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. field — a subject
  23. season — in sport
  24. wind — moving air

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