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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: rock · kick · field · mate · game · stand · wind · chip

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. field — a subject
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rock — a stone
  8. chip — for betting
  9. field — farmland
  10. rock — music
  11. mate — a friend
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chip — to eat
  15. kick — in football
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. field — for sport
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — to breed
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. stand — to bear

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