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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. kick — in football
  4. rule — government
  5. staff — a stick
  6. field — farmland
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. squash — the sport
  9. march — the month
  10. field — for sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. staff — employees
  15. march — music
  16. kid — to tease
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. staff — employees
  19. squash — to crush
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. field — a subject
  22. march — the month
  23. rule — a law
  24. kick — a thrill

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