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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 116 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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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: pop · deal · pitcher · bound · kick · field · rest · bat

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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. field — a subject
  4. pop — music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. field — for sport
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bound — tied together
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. rest — a break
  12. field — farmland
  13. bound — certain
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pop — to visit
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bound — obliged
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pop — soda
  21. kick — in football
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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