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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. field — a subject
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. race — humankind
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. cell — in biology
  10. craft — boats
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cell — a phone
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. craft — a skill
  18. field — for sport
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pound — a weight
  21. field — farmland
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. race — a contest

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