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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. wake — a trail
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. drill — the tool
  5. roll — a list
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. lean — thin
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. drill — army training
  14. field — for sport
  15. lean — to bend
  16. object — an aim
  17. field — a subject
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. field — farmland
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — to protest

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