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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. field — farmland
  5. kid — child
  6. mine — for digging
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bulb — for light
  9. field — for sport
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bulb — for light
  12. field — a subject
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — music
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. plane — a tool
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mate — a partner
  24. rock — a stone

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