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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. field — farmland
  3. present — there
  4. swing — in golf
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. field — a subject
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. field — for sport
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. present — the time now
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. wound — an injury
  21. present — a gift
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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