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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. club — a group
  3. field — for sport
  4. club — for golf
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. deal — to handle
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — child
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. field — a subject
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. lean — thin
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. field — farmland
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. club — for dancing
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. lean — to bend
  24. stand — on your feet

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