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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. season — of the year
  7. staff — employees
  8. kid — child
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. season — in sport
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. club — a group
  17. field — farmland
  18. club — for golf
  19. chest — of your body
  20. staff — a stick
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bore — to drill
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bay — a horse colour

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