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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. field — for sport
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mug — a cup
  5. drill — the tool
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. field — farmland
  10. bass — low music
  11. pitch — completely
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bass — the fish
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mug — a face
  19. fall — to drop
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. row — a line
  22. field — a subject
  23. drill — army training
  24. mug — to rob

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