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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 120 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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bore — to drill
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. field — farmland
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. hand — in cards
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. content — the amount
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. content — happy
  16. net — in sport
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. field — a subject
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. hand — help

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