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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: rock · field · fall · kick · file · kid · stick · mark

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. file — a line of people
  3. field — a subject
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. file — a tool
  9. kick — in football
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. file — a document
  12. kid — child
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. fall — the season
  16. rock — music
  17. mark — a grade
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mark — a trace
  20. rock — a stone
  21. field — for sport
  22. kid — to tease
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. field — farmland

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