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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. land — ground
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. march — the month
  7. mark — a grade
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. lean — to bend
  14. march — music
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. tear — to rip
  17. land — to come down
  18. tear — from crying
  19. land — a country
  20. lean — thin
  21. tear — from crying
  22. march — the month
  23. mark — a trace
  24. field — farmland

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