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

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pop — to visit
  6. drill — army training
  7. pop — soda
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. field — for sport
  12. band — a music group
  13. field — farmland
  14. pop — music
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. drill — a practice
  17. band — a ring
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. plane — a tool
  20. can — a tin
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. field — a subject
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. kick — with a 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