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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. ball — a dance
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. kid — to tease
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. fine — high quality
  9. game — a match
  10. field — farmland
  11. charge — electricity
  12. kid — child
  13. field — for sport
  14. charge — in control
  15. kick — in football
  16. charge — a price
  17. fine — all right
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. ball — a great time
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. field — a subject
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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