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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. swing — to play on
  4. craft — boats
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. roll — a cake
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. field — for sport
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. track — a path
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. field — a subject
  15. swing — music
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. track — to keep track
  18. roll — a list
  19. swing — in golf
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. kick — in football
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. track — a song
  24. roll — on a roll

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