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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. field — farmland
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. chest — a box
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. kid — child
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. kid — to tease
  24. racket — a loud noise

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