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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 124 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. charge — electricity
  7. rash — hasty
  8. field — for sport
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. charge — a price
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. pound — a weight
  15. charge — in control
  16. field — farmland
  17. land — ground
  18. field — a subject
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. kid — to tease
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. rash — a series

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