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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — to drill
  4. spell — a short time
  5. swing — to play on
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. firm — a company
  8. spell — magic
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. swing — in golf
  11. field — for sport
  12. staff — a stick
  13. swing — music
  14. firm — steady
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. staff — employees
  17. spell — letters
  18. firm — decided
  19. chair — a leader
  20. field — farmland
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. field — a subject
  23. scale — in music
  24. staff — employees

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