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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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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: field · last · court · kick · mug · mark · foot · drill

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. last — final
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. court — of law
  7. foot — a measure
  8. court — for sport
  9. mug — a face
  10. kick — in football
  11. last — to go on
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. field — a subject
  15. mark — a grade
  16. drill — a practice
  17. mark — a trace
  18. drill — army training
  19. mug — a cup
  20. last — finally
  21. drill — the tool
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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