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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. mug — a cup
  3. fork — in a road
  4. field — farmland
  5. kick — in football
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. staff — a stick
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. mug — a face
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mug — to rob
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. field — for sport
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. cold — not warm
  18. fine — high quality
  19. staff — employees
  20. fine — all right
  21. staff — employees
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. field — a subject
  24. chair — a leader

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