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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 116 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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. club — a group
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. field — a subject
  10. wound — an injury
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — for golf
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stand — to bear
  16. tear — to rip
  17. net — in sport
  18. charge — in control
  19. tear — from crying
  20. field — for sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — electricity
  24. field — farmland

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