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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: race · kid · can · fine · field · trunk · deal · row

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. race — humankind
  3. field — farmland
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. field — for sport
  7. can — a tin
  8. race — the arms race
  9. kid — child
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. can — to be able to
  12. deal — to handle
  13. fine — high quality
  14. row — a line
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. field — a subject
  17. row — to paddle
  18. fine — all right
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. race — a contest
  22. kid — to tease
  23. deal — an agreement
  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