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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. field — for sport
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. field — a subject
  6. court — of a king
  7. stem — to come from
  8. charge — electricity
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. present — there
  11. court — of law
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. kid — to tease
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — the time now
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. court — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — in control

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