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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. drill — a practice
  3. mug — to rob
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. kid — child
  6. field — for sport
  7. mug — a face
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mug — a cup
  10. pop — to visit
  11. field — farmland
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pop — soda
  15. field — a subject
  16. board — to get on
  17. drill — army training
  18. kid — to tease
  19. board — a committee
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. drill — the tool
  22. pop — music
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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