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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's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fall — to drop
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. field — for sport
  5. capital — money
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. field — farmland
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bear — the animal
  13. firm — decided
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. capital — a city
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. firm — steady
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. firm — a company
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. calf — a young animal

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