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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: racket · deal · kid · lean · bay · pit · field · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a great time
  3. field — farmland
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. lean — thin
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. kid — child
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. field — for sport
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pit — a hole
  13. ball — a dance
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. field — a subject
  24. deal — an agreement

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