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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: kid · hand · pop · calf · ground · mug · firm · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. field — a subject
  4. pop — to visit
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. ground — crushed
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pop — soda
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. firm — decided
  11. kid — to tease
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mug — a cup
  14. ground — a position
  15. firm — steady
  16. pop — music
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a face
  19. firm — a company
  20. field — for sport
  21. hand — in cards
  22. ground — the earth
  23. kid — child
  24. hand — help

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