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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. saw — the tool
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. date — the fruit
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. can — to be able to
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. can — a tin
  17. mark — a trace
  18. chip — to eat
  19. field — a subject
  20. mark — a grade
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — for betting
  24. can — a tin

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