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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. field — farmland
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. staff — employees
  8. bat — the animal
  9. suit — clothes
  10. season — of the year
  11. suit — to fit
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. field — a subject
  15. suit — in cards
  16. rash — a series
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rash — hasty
  19. field — for sport
  20. staff — employees
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. kick — with a leg

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