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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pitch — completely
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. cap — of ice
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pop — music
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bark — to shout
  13. cap — a hat
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pop — to visit
  23. field — a subject
  24. nail — for a hammer

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