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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. deal — to handle
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. ball — a great time
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. field — for sport
  7. fork — in a road
  8. firm — decided
  9. ball — a dance
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. hand — help
  13. kid — to tease
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. hand — in cards
  17. field — a subject
  18. kid — child
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. branch — a division
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — a company
  24. ball — a round shape

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