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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: roll · face · calf · kick · season · field · cabinet · tube

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. roll — a cake
  4. field — a subject
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. face — to confront
  8. season — in sport
  9. roll — a list
  10. face — to point toward
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. field — farmland
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. field — for sport
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. face — part of the head
  21. tube — a container
  22. kick — in football
  23. tube — the underground
  24. season — of the year

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