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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 124 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. charge — in control
  3. kid — to tease
  4. track — to keep track
  5. field — farmland
  6. track — a path
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. charge — electricity
  9. row — to paddle
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. pit — in a race
  12. charge — a price
  13. row — a line
  14. chair — a leader
  15. field — for sport
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — a hole
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. kid — child
  21. track — a song
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. field — a subject
  24. stand — to bear

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