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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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. pound — a weight
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mug — to rob
  6. field — for sport
  7. kid — child
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. cap — a lid
  10. field — farmland
  11. mug — a cup
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. wake — a trail
  14. charge — a price
  15. kid — to tease
  16. charge — in control
  17. field — a subject
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. mug — a face
  24. charge — electricity

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