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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. pop — to visit
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — to bear
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — farmland
  12. pop — music
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pop — soda
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. rash — a series
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. kid — child

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