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

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. present — a gift
  3. land — to come down
  4. club — a group
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. kid — child
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. present — there
  10. club — for dancing
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. land — ground
  14. club — for golf
  15. land — a country
  16. field — farmland
  17. kid — to tease
  18. present — the time now

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