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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 · row · ball · club · swing · calf · present · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. club — for dancing
  4. present — there
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. swing — to play on
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. ball — a dance
  11. row — to paddle
  12. swing — music
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. club — for golf
  15. present — the time now
  16. row — a line
  17. club — a group
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. field — a subject
  20. swing — in golf
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. mine — for digging
  23. present — a gift
  24. ball — a great time

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