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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: field · lie · ball · ground · track · chest · kid · object

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. field — a subject
  3. ground — the earth
  4. track — a song
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — to tease
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. chest — a box
  11. object — to protest
  12. chest — of your body
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. ball — a great time
  16. object — an aim
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. track — to keep track
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. track — a path
  21. object — a thing
  22. ball — a dance
  23. kid — child
  24. chest — of your body

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