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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. field — for sport
  6. wound — an injury
  7. field — a subject
  8. bass — the fish
  9. fork — in a road
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wound — an injury
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bass — low music
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. field — farmland
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. fork — to eat with

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