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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bound — obliged
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. shower — rain
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bound — certain
  9. field — for sport
  10. rest — a break
  11. season — of the year
  12. field — a subject
  13. bound — tied together
  14. field — farmland
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. rest — what's left
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. stand — to bear
  22. shower — to wash
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. stand — on your feet

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