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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. capital — a city
  6. kid — to tease
  7. suit — in cards
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. present — the time now
  10. ball — a great time
  11. suit — clothes
  12. capital — money
  13. ball — a dance
  14. hand — help
  15. present — a gift
  16. firm — decided
  17. present — there
  18. firm — steady
  19. firm — a company
  20. hand — in cards
  21. kid — child
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. suit — to fit
  24. field — farmland

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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