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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 120 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. field — for sport
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. board — to get on
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bank — for money
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. row — to paddle
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. field — farmland
  12. kick — in football
  13. bank — for money
  14. land — ground
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. field — a subject
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bank — of a river
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. land — to come down
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. land — a country
  24. row — a line

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