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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. field — for sport
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. capital — money
  5. net — for catching
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. wax — to grow
  13. kid — child
  14. lean — thin
  15. capital — a city
  16. kid — to tease
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. field — farmland
  19. lean — to bend
  20. mark — a trace
  21. field — a subject
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. wax — in the ear

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