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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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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: kick · foot · sharp · land · game · stand · mug · field

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. foot — a measure
  3. land — to come down
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. mug — a cup
  6. kick — in football
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. land — a country
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mug — a face
  17. sharp — clever
  18. game — wild animals
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. field — farmland
  22. land — ground
  23. mug — to rob
  24. stand — on your feet

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