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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. shower — rain
  5. toast — bread
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. last — to go on
  8. field — farmland
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. object — an aim
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. kid — to tease
  13. last — finally
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. shower — to wash
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. field — a subject
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. last — final
  21. object — to protest
  22. field — for sport
  23. object — a thing
  24. hide — to keep secret

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