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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. club — a group
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. field — for sport
  12. foot — a measure
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. kid — child
  15. field — a subject
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pitcher — a jug

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