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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. date — the fruit
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. field — a subject
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. branch — a division
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kick — in football
  16. kid — to tease
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. mug — a face
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. kid — child
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. hide — to keep secret

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