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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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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: ruler · bowl · kick · date · field · rest · saw · kid

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rest — what's left
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. field — a subject
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. field — for sport
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. field — farmland
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — in football
  23. saw — the tool
  24. date — the fruit

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