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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. field — for sport
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. pop — to visit
  6. mate — to breed
  7. field — farmland
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. field — a subject
  11. present — there
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. present — a gift
  15. pitch — completely
  16. present — the time now
  17. bore — to drill
  18. spring — of water
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bore — to tire
  22. pop — music
  23. mate — a partner
  24. squash — the sport

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