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

Word bank: field · stick · pass · kid · perch · mouse · rule · staff

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — government
  6. pass — a permit
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. field — a subject
  21. staff — employees
  22. perch — the fish
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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