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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rest — a break
  13. ball — a dance
  14. field — a subject
  15. spring — the season
  16. rest — what's left
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. spring — of water
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. field — farmland
  22. bear — the animal
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. ball — a great time

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