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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. field — a subject
  3. object — a thing
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. content — happy
  6. key — the most important part
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bore — to tire
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. object — to protest
  11. bore — to drill
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — high quality
  16. field — farmland
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. content — the amount
  19. field — for sport
  20. key — in music
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. key — for a lock
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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