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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. ground — crushed
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. field — a subject
  8. charge — in control
  9. key — in music
  10. stem — to come from
  11. saw — the tool
  12. field — farmland
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. charge — a price
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bat — the animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. key — the most important part
  22. ground — a position
  23. field — for sport
  24. key — for a lock

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