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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. game — a match
  8. kid — to tease
  9. ground — the earth
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bound — obliged
  12. kid — child
  13. ground — a position
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bound — tied together
  17. field — a subject
  18. bound — certain
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rock — music
  24. lash — to lash out

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