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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. field — for sport
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. field — farmland
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. tear — to rip
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. charge — in control
  10. tear — from crying
  11. field — a subject
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. charge — a price
  14. tear — from crying
  15. charge — electricity
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bear — the animal
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. kick — in football
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rush — hurry

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