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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. band — a music group
  3. field — for sport
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. clip — for paper
  6. field — a subject
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. band — a ring
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — a tool
  11. field — farmland
  12. craft — a skill
  13. clip — a video
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — boats
  18. court — for sport
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. court — of a king
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. clip — to cut
  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