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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. rash — a series
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. chip — to eat
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. content — happy
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pound — a weight
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. scale — in music
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. content — the amount

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