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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 120 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: field · kick · rest · band · craft · last · mate · dip

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mate — a friend
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. field — for sport
  8. craft — a skill
  9. field — farmland
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rest — a break
  12. last — final
  13. band — a ring
  14. mate — a partner
  15. dip — to sink
  16. band — a music group
  17. rest — what's left
  18. last — finally
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — in football
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. last — to go on
  23. craft — boats
  24. dip — to dunk

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