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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. 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. suit — clothes
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wound — an injury
  4. suit — in cards
  5. present — a gift
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. field — a subject
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bear — the animal
  10. file — a tool
  11. kid — child
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — to protest
  14. field — farmland
  15. suit — to fit
  16. object — a thing
  17. file — a line of people
  18. field — for sport
  19. present — there
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. file — a document
  23. kid — to tease
  24. 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