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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 120 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. charge — in control
  3. field — farmland
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. charge — electricity
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. ball — a dance
  10. field — a subject
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. field — for sport
  13. kid — child
  14. plane — a tool
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. charge — a price
  19. kid — to tease
  20. ball — a great time
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bowl — a football final

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