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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. face — part of the head
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. kid — to tease
  9. fork — in a road
  10. pit — a hole
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. face — to confront
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. face — to point toward
  18. pit — in a race
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. field — a subject
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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