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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. squash — to crush
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. foot — a measure
  9. field — farmland
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. field — for sport
  12. lean — to bend
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. snap — to click
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bore — to drill
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. deal — to handle
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. lean — thin
  23. field — a subject
  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