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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. field — a subject
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. field — for sport
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. row — a line
  10. field — farmland
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. row — to paddle
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. court — for sport
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. court — of a king
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. court — of law
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bat — the animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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