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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: scale · kick · court · rush · field · lash · toast · drill

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. scale — size or range
  4. drill — a practice
  5. kick — in football
  6. court — for sport
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. scale — in music
  11. drill — the tool
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. field — farmland
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. drill — army training
  17. court — of a king
  18. field — a subject
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. rush — hurry
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. field — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. toast — bread

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