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

Word bank: kick · tear · track · field · rule · cabinet

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. track — a path
  3. field — farmland
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. track — a song
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rule — a law
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rule — government
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. field — for sport
  17. track — to keep track
  18. field — a subject

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