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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.

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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: leaves · land · kick · ruler · rest · pitcher · field · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. rest — what's left
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. field — a subject
  7. rest — a break
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. land — a country
  11. kick — in football
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. rest — what's left
  17. field — farmland
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. snap — to click
  21. field — for sport
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. leaves — lets stay

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