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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 116 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stand — to bear
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rest — what's left
  7. field — a subject
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. charge — a price
  10. rest — a break
  11. chair — a leader
  12. kick — in football
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. field — farmland
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. charge — electricity
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. field — for sport
  23. charge — in control
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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