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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: leaves · date · bowl · band · field · kick · rule · stick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. date — the fruit
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. rule — a law
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. band — a music group
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. field — for sport
  12. rule — government
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. field — a subject
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. field — farmland
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. band — a ring
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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