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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: kick · field · cold · wake · roll · safe · ball · pitcher

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. field — a subject
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. ball — a dance
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. field — farmland
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. roll — a cake
  17. field — for sport
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. roll — a list
  24. safe — out of danger

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