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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. field — a subject
  3. bat — the animal
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. mug — a cup
  6. kid — child
  7. deal — to handle
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. field — for sport
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. sharp — clever
  12. dip — to sink
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. mug — a face
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. field — farmland
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — a sauce

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