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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 120 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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. field — for sport
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. field — farmland
  10. deal — to handle
  11. ground — the earth
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. foot — a measure
  15. pit — a hole
  16. ground — crushed
  17. field — a subject
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ground — a position
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. kid — to tease
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pit — in a race
  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