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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. scale — size or range
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. scale — in music
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. rule — government
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. deal — to handle
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mine — for digging
  15. hand — help
  16. field — for sport
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. land — ground
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — to rule out

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