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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 116 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: lash · field · root · hand · face · ground · kick · game

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. game — a match
  3. root — of a plant
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. face — to point toward
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. ground — the earth
  9. field — farmland
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. field — for sport
  13. root — the cause
  14. game — wild animals
  15. root — of a word
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. ground — crushed
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. ground — a position
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. hand — help
  23. kick — in football
  24. hand — in cards

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