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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: field · chair · roll · perch · drill · deal · nail · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. field — for sport
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. perch — the fish
  12. deal — to handle
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. drill — a practice
  15. field — a subject
  16. drill — the tool
  17. field — farmland
  18. roll — a list
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. roll — a cake
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. drill — army training
  24. nail — for a hammer

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