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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. game — wild animals
  3. drill — a practice
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bore — to drill
  6. root — the cause
  7. land — ground
  8. root — of a word
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bore — to tire
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. spring — of water
  18. root — of a plant
  19. land — a country
  20. game — a match
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. drill — army training
  23. land — to come down
  24. spring — the season

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