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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · field · cabinet · craft · kick · mouse

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. 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. craft — boats
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. craft — a skill
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. kick — in football
  7. field — for sport
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rule — government
  12. field — a subject
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. rule — a law
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. field — farmland
  18. 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