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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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. scale — size or range
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bound — tied together
  6. field — a subject
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bound — obliged
  10. field — farmland
  11. bound — certain
  12. mug — a cup
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mug — to rob
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mug — a face
  19. scale — in music
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. kick — in football
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

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