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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. field — farmland
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. kid — to tease
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. kid — child
  11. chip — for betting
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. chip — to eat
  16. field — a subject
  17. stand — to bear
  18. plane — a tool
  19. toast — bread
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. field — for sport
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. plane — an aircraft

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