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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 · clip · sharp · bulb · field · pop · face · pit

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pit — a hole
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pop — to visit
  6. face — to confront
  7. bulb — for light
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. field — for sport
  11. pop — music
  12. pit — in a race
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. pop — soda
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — a video
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. field — farmland
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bulb — for light
  23. face — to point toward
  24. clip — to cut

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