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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. sharp — clever
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pop — music
  5. field — farmland
  6. can — to be able to
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — to bear
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. can — a tin
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for sport

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