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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 116 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bore — to tire
  5. field — for sport
  6. can — to be able to
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. sharp — clever
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. row — to paddle
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. deal — to handle
  21. field — a subject
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. field — farmland

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