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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: foot · kick · bowl · rule · cell · pop · field · mark

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. rule — government
  5. pop — music
  6. kick — in football
  7. pop — soda
  8. field — farmland
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pop — to visit
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. field — a subject
  13. mark — a trace
  14. rule — a law
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. mark — a grade
  24. rule — to rule out

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