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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mug · present · calf · ground · saw · chip · field · kick

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. ground — crushed
  3. field — a subject
  4. present — a gift
  5. mug — to rob
  6. chip — to eat
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. field — for sport
  9. ground — a position
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — a cup
  13. field — farmland
  14. ground — the earth
  15. kick — in football
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. chip — for betting
  18. present — the time now
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. present — there
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. saw — the tool

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