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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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. pop — to visit
  3. field — farmland
  4. rash — a series
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. field — for sport
  11. pop — music
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wind — moving air
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pop — soda
  20. drill — army training
  21. field — a subject
  22. rash — hasty
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. drill — the tool

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