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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · rule · mouse · last · court · kick · tube · file

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. court — of law
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. field — farmland
  6. file — a line of people
  7. kick — in football
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. last — final
  10. court — for sport
  11. file — a tool
  12. rule — government
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. tube — a container
  15. court — of a king
  16. file — a document
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. tube — the underground
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. field — for sport
  24. rule — a law

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