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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. can — a tin
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mine — for digging
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. last — finally
  9. can — to be able to
  10. field — for sport
  11. last — to go on
  12. bound — obliged
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bound — certain
  15. field — farmland
  16. can — a tin
  17. bound — tied together
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. last — final
  20. kid — child
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. lie — to recline
  24. mine — belonging to me

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