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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. field — for sport
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. club — for golf
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. field — a subject
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. field — farmland
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. club — a group
  15. staff — a stick
  16. rash — a series
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wake — a trail
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. staff — employees
  23. shower — rain
  24. staff — employees

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