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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.

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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. rest — what's left
  3. field — for sport
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. object — an aim
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. field — farmland
  13. object — to protest
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. rule — government
  17. rest — what's left
  18. kick — in football
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. field — a subject
  21. rule — a law
  22. object — a thing
  23. ball — a dance
  24. rest — a break

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