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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. kid — child
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. field — for sport
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. pop — music
  11. field — a subject
  12. fall — the season
  13. field — farmland
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. kid — to tease
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stand — to bear
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. pop — soda

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