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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bore — to drill
  4. net — for catching
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. court — of law
  7. field — for sport
  8. staff — employees
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. staff — employees
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bound — obliged
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. court — of a king
  16. net — after costs
  17. staff — a stick
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. net — in sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. pit — in a race
  24. court — for 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