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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. ground — a position
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. ground — the earth
  8. field — farmland
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. snap — to click
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. court — of a king
  13. field — a subject
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. ground — crushed
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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