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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. field — a subject
  4. squash — the sport
  5. fine — high quality
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. squash — to crush
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. lie — to recline
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. tube — a container
  16. field — farmland
  17. fine — all right
  18. pound — a weight
  19. tube — the underground
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. kid — child
  24. field — for sport

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