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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 120 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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rash — hasty
  13. field — a subject
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — in a race
  16. kid — to tease
  17. field — farmland
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. sharp — clever
  22. kid — child
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rash — a series

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