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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. suit — clothes
  3. ground — crushed
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. field — farmland
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. suit — to fit
  8. plane — a tool
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. firm — steady
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. suit — in cards
  16. firm — decided
  17. kid — to tease
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. field — for sport
  20. ground — the earth
  21. field — a subject
  22. firm — a company
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. ground — a position

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