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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: net · can · kid · field · staff · pitcher · shower · ruler

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. field — farmland
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — child
  5. net — after costs
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. net — in sport
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. staff — employees
  12. field — a subject
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. can — a tin
  16. shower — rain
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. shower — to wash
  19. can — to be able to
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. net — for catching
  22. field — for sport
  23. can — a tin
  24. kid — to tease

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