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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. game — a match
  3. field — a subject
  4. sharp — clever
  5. field — for sport
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. suit — to fit
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. suit — in cards
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. stem — to come from
  16. suit — clothes
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. kid — to tease
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. game — wild animals
  23. field — farmland
  24. mouse — the animal

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