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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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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: safe · wind · saw · field · pass · last · calf · court

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. wind — moving air
  3. court — of a king
  4. field — for sport
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. court — of law
  9. last — finally
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. last — final
  14. saw — the tool
  15. last — to go on
  16. field — farmland
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pass — a permit
  21. wind — moving air
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. court — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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