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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.

Make a worksheet

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: kick · field · ground · chair · calf · fine · bass · object

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. field — for sport
  3. ground — a position
  4. object — to protest
  5. field — a subject
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bass — low music
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. field — farmland
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. object — a thing
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bass — the fish
  15. ground — the earth
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — a leader
  19. object — an aim
  20. fine — all right
  21. kick — in football
  22. ground — crushed
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bass — the instrument

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