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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bulb — for light
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. vault — a safe
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. kid — to tease
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. kid — child
  24. racket — for tennis

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