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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pop — music
  4. field — for sport
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bat — the animal
  7. field — farmland
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bore — to tire
  13. pop — soda
  14. hand — help
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. hand — part of the 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