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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.

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: stand · hide · squash · track · bowl · field · kick · pop

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pop — to visit
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. track — a path
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. field — farmland
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pop — music
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. track — a song
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. squash — to crush
  20. track — to keep track
  21. pop — soda
  22. stand — to bear
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. kick — in football

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