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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: cap · racket · field · kid · march · bowl · calf · mug

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mug — a cup
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. mug — a face
  7. kid — child
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. field — a subject
  10. cap — a hat
  11. march — the month
  12. kid — to tease
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. mug — to rob

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