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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. cap — a hat
  5. field — farmland
  6. root — of a word
  7. cap — of ice
  8. root — the cause
  9. can — a tin
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cap — a lid
  13. field — a subject
  14. kid — child
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. chest — of your body
  17. can — a tin
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. root — of a plant
  20. field — for sport
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. kid — to tease

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