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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. firm — a company
  3. file — a line of people
  4. cue — a hint
  5. firm — steady
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. bank — for money
  8. file — a tool
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bank — of a river
  11. field — a subject
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. firm — decided
  14. cue — for pool
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. cue — a signal
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bank — for money
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. field — farmland
  21. hand — help
  22. kid — child
  23. field — for sport
  24. file — a document

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