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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. file — a document
  5. field — a subject
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. swing — music
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. swing — to play on
  12. field — for sport
  13. toast — bread
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. chair — a leader
  16. swing — in golf
  17. file — a line of people
  18. field — farmland
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. file — a tool
  22. kid — child
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. kid — to tease

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