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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 124 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. field — a subject
  4. pop — soda
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. pop — music
  7. land — to come down
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. field — for sport
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. pass — a permit
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — a face
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — a friend

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