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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. field — farmland
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pop — soda
  5. kid — child
  6. field — a subject
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. staff — a stick
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. object — an aim
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. staff — employees
  15. kid — to tease
  16. object — to protest
  17. field — for sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pop — music
  22. object — a thing
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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