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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pop — to visit
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. key — for a lock
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. field — farmland
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. suit — to fit
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. suit — clothes
  11. pop — soda
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. field — a subject
  15. kid — to tease
  16. key — in music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. field — for sport
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. suit — in cards
  21. kid — child
  22. pop — music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. hide — to keep secret

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