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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
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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: field · bank · kick · game · hand · foot · straw · date

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. field — farmland
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bank — for money
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. field — for sport
  7. bank — of a river
  8. kick — in football
  9. bank — for money
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. field — a subject
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. foot — a measure

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