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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. suit — clothes
  3. field — for sport
  4. face — part of the head
  5. suit — in cards
  6. net — for catching
  7. field — farmland
  8. mine — for digging
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. vault — a safe
  13. field — a subject
  14. suit — to fit
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — in sport
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. face — to confront
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. face — to point toward
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. kick — in football
  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