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

Word bank: bowl · chair · kick · field · lash · drill

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. drill — the tool
  6. field — farmland
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. field — a subject
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. kick — in football
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. field — for sport

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