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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 · arm · kick · ball · field · cabinet · fall · root

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fall — to drop
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. field — farmland
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. fall — the season
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ball — a great time
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. root — the cause
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. root — of a plant
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. ball — a dance
  18. fall — to drop
  19. root — of a word
  20. field — a subject
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. field — for sport

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