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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. roll — a list
  6. fine — all right
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. field — a subject
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. roll — a cake
  13. stand — to bear
  14. field — for sport
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. field — farmland
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. prune — to trim
  21. capital — money
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fine — high quality
  24. capital — a city

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