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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.

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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bore — to tire
  3. field — farmland
  4. row — to paddle
  5. game — wild animals
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a cup
  10. bore — to drill
  11. field — for sport
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. game — a match
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rush — hurry
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. row — a line
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rock — music
  23. squash — to crush
  24. row — a quarrel

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