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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. tear — from crying
  3. field — farmland
  4. tear — to rip
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. ground — a position
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. track — a path
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. ground — the earth
  11. kid — child
  12. tear — from crying
  13. ground — crushed
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. track — a song
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. field — a subject
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. track — to keep track
  22. kid — to tease
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. field — for sport

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