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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bear — the animal
  9. roll — a list
  10. kid — to tease
  11. stock — goods
  12. present — there
  13. present — the time now
  14. kid — child
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. present — a gift
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bear — the animal
  19. field — a subject
  20. game — a match
  21. stock — shares
  22. roll — a cake
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bear — to put up with

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