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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mate — to breed
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. shower — rain
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — a partner
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wound — an injury
  16. shower — to wash
  17. field — a subject
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. field — farmland
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pit — in a race
  22. sharp — clever
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pit — a hole

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