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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. pop — music
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. field — farmland
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pop — to visit
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. squash — to crush
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. field — a subject
  21. squash — the sport
  22. pop — soda
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. kick — in football

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