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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mine — for digging
  3. field — for sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. can — a tin
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. kick — in football
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. rest — a break
  17. can — a tin
  18. field — farmland
  19. can — to be able to
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. snap — to click
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fan — to cool the air

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