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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. key — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. field — a subject
  9. land — to come down
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. key — the most important part
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. land — ground
  16. kick — in football
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kid — child
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. land — a country
  23. field — for sport
  24. kid — to tease

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