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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pit — in a race
  3. face — to confront
  4. kid — to tease
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. field — farmland
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. field — a subject
  12. can — a tin
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pit — a hole
  15. kid — child
  16. face — to point toward
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. deal — to handle
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. face — part of the head
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. deal — an agreement

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