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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 116 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. field — for sport
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. chair — a leader
  9. net — after costs
  10. mug — to rob
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. mug — a cup
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. court — of a king
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. vault — a safe

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