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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. kid — to tease
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. present — there
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. toast — bread
  9. present — a gift
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. present — the time now
  12. kid — child
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. tube — the underground
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. tube — a container
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. field — farmland

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