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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. squash — to crush
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. drill — the tool
  6. field — a subject
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. hand — in cards
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. chair — a leader
  13. kick — in football
  14. drill — a practice
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pass — a permit
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. field — farmland
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. hand — help
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. drill — army training

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