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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 116 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: chair · lash · field · firm · snap · calf · kick · mine

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. kick — in football
  3. chair — a leader
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. field — a subject
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. firm — decided
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. firm — steady
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mine — for digging
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. field — farmland
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. firm — a company
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. chair — a professorship

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