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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · kid · field · spring · race · suit · roll · chair

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. roll — a cake
  3. field — a subject
  4. suit — in cards
  5. race — the arms race
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. spring — the season
  8. field — for sport
  9. suit — to fit
  10. race — a contest
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. spring — a coil
  15. race — humankind
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. kid — to tease
  18. roll — a list
  19. suit — clothes
  20. field — farmland
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. kid — child
  23. chair — a leader
  24. spring — of water

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