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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. field — a subject
  3. last — finally
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. field — for sport
  8. present — the time now
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. field — farmland
  12. last — final
  13. present — a gift
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mug — a face
  16. cell — a phone
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. mug — to rob
  20. last — to go on
  21. present — there
  22. mug — a cup
  23. drill — army training
  24. calf — of the leg

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