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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. kid — to tease
  3. track — a path
  4. can — to be able to
  5. dip — to sink
  6. kid — child
  7. field — farmland
  8. track — a song
  9. tube — a container
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. mug — a cup
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. track — to keep track
  15. snap — to click
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mug — a face
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. mug — to rob
  22. tube — the underground
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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