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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 116 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. field — for sport
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. kid — to tease
  7. field — farmland
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. suit — in cards
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. field — a subject
  13. craft — boats
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. face — to confront
  16. deal — to handle
  17. suit — to fit
  18. craft — a skill
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. face — part of the head
  21. suit — clothes
  22. bat — the animal
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. face — to point toward

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