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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · field · pitcher · chip · bay · can · temple · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. field — a subject
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. can — to be able to
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. can — a tin
  12. chip — to eat
  13. season — of the year
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. kid — child
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. season — in sport
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. can — a tin

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