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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mug — a cup
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — to confront
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. squash — the sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. face — part of the head
  9. fine — high quality
  10. field — a subject
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mug — a face
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. field — for sport
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. craft — a skill
  18. kid — child
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. fine — all right
  21. mug — to rob
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. craft — boats
  24. band — a rubber band

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