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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: calf · firm · race · field · pop · bore · object · pitcher

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. pop — soda
  3. object — to protest
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. object — a thing
  8. race — humankind
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — the arms race
  12. firm — a company
  13. object — an aim
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. field — for sport
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — music
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bore — to tire
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. field — farmland
  22. firm — steady
  23. field — a subject
  24. bore — to drill

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