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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: straw · rule · field · coach · arm · rest · ground · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. rest — what's left
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. field — farmland
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. rest — a break
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ground — the earth
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rule — a law
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. ground — a position
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rule — government

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