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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. last — to go on
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. last — final
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. charge — in control
  10. kid — child
  11. field — for sport
  12. last — finally
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — electricity
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — a subject

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