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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. drill — the tool
  3. field — for sport
  4. spell — a short time
  5. chip — to eat
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bank — of a river
  8. row — to paddle
  9. net — after costs
  10. bank — for money
  11. net — in sport
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. spell — magic
  15. row — a line
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. drill — army training
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. spell — letters
  22. net — for catching
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bank — for money

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