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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bore — to drill
  5. clip — to cut
  6. drill — a practice
  7. clip — a video
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. dip — to sink
  11. chip — for betting
  12. drill — army training
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. field — for sport
  15. drill — the tool
  16. plane — a tool
  17. mug — to rob
  18. clip — for paper
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. mug — a face
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. chip — to eat
  24. mug — a cup

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