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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. shower — rain
  4. sharp — clever
  5. field — a subject
  6. mug — a cup
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. court — for sport
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. season — in sport
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. shower — to wash
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. field — farmland
  19. court — of law
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. court — of a king
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. season — of the year

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