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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. kid — child
  4. field — for sport
  5. cue — for pool
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. field — farmland
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cue — a signal
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. face — to confront
  14. root — of a word
  15. face — to point toward
  16. cue — a hint
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bark — to shout
  20. track — a path
  21. face — part of the head
  22. track — a song
  23. field — a subject
  24. root — the cause

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