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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. game — a match
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. kid — child
  8. field — a subject
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. field — farmland
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bear — the animal
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. field — for sport

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