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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. can — to be able to
  4. staff — employees
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. can — a tin
  8. staff — a stick
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. field — for sport
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. staff — employees
  14. can — a tin
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bat — the animal
  17. board — a committee
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. field — a subject
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. board — to get on

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