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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. stand — to bear
  3. court — for sport
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. court — of a king
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. court — of law
  12. hand — help
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. kick — in football
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. hand — in cards
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. field — for sport
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chip — for betting
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — a subject

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