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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. rule — a law
  3. field — farmland
  4. rule — government
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. field — for sport
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. field — a subject
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bear — the animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bear — the animal
  24. drill — army training

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