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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. field — for sport
  3. capital — money
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. field — a subject
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. chest — of your body
  8. land — to come down
  9. chest — a box
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. capital — a city
  14. land — ground
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. field — farmland
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. land — a country
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wound — an injury
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wound — an injury

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