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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mug — to rob
  3. fine — high quality
  4. spell — a short time
  5. court — for sport
  6. spell — letters
  7. field — farmland
  8. mug — a face
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — the season
  12. spell — magic
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. spring — of water
  19. field — a subject
  20. mug — a cup
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. field — for sport
  24. fine — all right

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