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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. firm — a company
  3. bore — to tire
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. firm — steady
  8. bore — to drill
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. firm — decided
  12. field — a subject
  13. present — the time now
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bear — the animal
  17. present — a gift
  18. tube — the underground
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. tube — a container
  22. fall — the season
  23. present — there
  24. field — farmland

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