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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. file — a document
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. ground — the earth
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bulb — for light
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. field — a subject
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. kid — child
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bulb — for light
  16. file — a line of people
  17. field — for sport
  18. ground — crushed
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. ground — a position
  23. field — farmland
  24. file — a tool

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