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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitcher · field · straw · last · calf · game · hand · vault

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. field — farmland
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. field — a subject
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. game — a match
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. vault — a safe
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. hand — help
  13. game — wild animals
  14. last — to go on
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. field — for sport
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. hand — in cards
  21. last — finally
  22. last — final
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. hand — part of the body

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