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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. plane — a tool
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rock — music
  9. lean — thin
  10. rush — hurry
  11. game — a match
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. field — for sport
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. kid — to tease
  19. rock — a stone
  20. kid — child
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. game — wild animals
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. lean — to rest against

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