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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: field · safe · kick · fall · kid · row · rush · cap

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cap — a hat
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. field — a subject
  16. kick — in football
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. field — farmland
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — hurry
  24. kid — to tease

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