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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. can — a tin
  4. kid — child
  5. file — a line of people
  6. squash — to crush
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. squash — the sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. season — in sport
  20. field — for sport
  21. kid — to tease
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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