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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. field — a subject
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. rule — government
  10. kid — child
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — a committee
  13. cap — a hat
  14. board — to get on
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. cap — of ice
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. net — in sport
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. rule — a law

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