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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. kick — in football
  5. squash — the sport
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. ball — a dance
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. chip — for betting
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. squash — to crush
  17. capital — a city
  18. chip — to eat
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. capital — money
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. field — for sport
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. squash — the vegetable

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