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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. field — a subject
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. field — for sport
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. land — to come down
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. field — farmland
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a grade
  16. land — ground
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bat — the animal
  24. straw — dry grass

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