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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bound — obliged
  6. scale — in music
  7. cue — for pool
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. field — a subject
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bound — certain
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. hand — help
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bound — tied together
  20. field — farmland
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. cue — a hint

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