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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: kick · fan · rest · arm · straw · cabinet · field · pound

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. field — for sport
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pound — a weight
  9. rest — a break
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rest — what's left
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. kick — in football
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. field — farmland
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fan — a supporter

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