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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. tube — the underground
  5. field — a subject
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. field — for sport
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. kid — to tease
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. club — for dancing
  18. kid — child
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. club — for golf
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. field — farmland
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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