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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.

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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: mine · calf · mate · pit · field · nail · sharp · spring

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pit — a hole
  4. mine — for digging
  5. spring — of water
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. spring — the season
  10. mate — a friend
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. field — farmland
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mate — a partner
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pit — in a race
  24. mate — to breed

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