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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. net — in sport
  6. hand — help
  7. net — for catching
  8. squash — the sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. field — for sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. field — farmland
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. kid — to tease
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. squash — to crush
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. field — a subject
  21. hand — in cards
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. kid — child

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