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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 116 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. field — for sport
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. wax — to grow
  8. field — farmland
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. press — a publisher
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. field — a subject
  14. sharp — clever
  15. press — newspapers
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. board — to get on
  20. pitch — completely
  21. press — to push
  22. board — a committee
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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