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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. track — a song
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pop — to visit
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bank — of a river
  8. present — a gift
  9. kid — child
  10. track — a path
  11. present — the time now
  12. pop — soda
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. kid — to tease
  15. field — a subject
  16. bank — for money
  17. present — there
  18. pop — music
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bank — for money
  23. field — for sport
  24. mouse — the animal

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