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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. field — a subject
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. land — ground
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. land — to come down
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — a price
  10. field — farmland
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. kid — to tease
  17. land — a country
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. field — for sport
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. charge — in control

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