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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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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 · ruler · snap · racket · calf · fine · last · pit

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. field — for sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. field — a subject
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. pit — in a race
  12. fine — all right
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. snap — to click
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. field — farmland
  20. pit — a hole
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. last — final
  24. calf — of the leg

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