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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: leaves · kick · field · mark · chair · arm · wind · scale

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. field — a subject
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wind — moving air
  5. field — for sport
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. mark — a trace
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mark — a grade
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. kick — in football
  13. field — farmland
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. scale — in music
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. scale — size or range
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. wind — moving air

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