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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 120 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. net — in sport
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. field — for sport
  8. mark — a grade
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. field — a subject
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. net — after costs
  15. foot — a measure
  16. net — for catching
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. mark — a trace
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. field — farmland
  24. foot — the bottom

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