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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. fine — high quality
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. band — a music group
  5. hand — help
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. field — for sport
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. kid — to tease
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. stem — to come from
  14. ball — a dance
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. hand — in cards
  17. ball — a great time
  18. kid — child
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. band — a ring
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. fine — all right

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