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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bore — to tire
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. suit — in cards
  6. field — for sport
  7. content — happy
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. suit — clothes
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. swing — music
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. suit — to fit
  15. foot — a measure
  16. field — a subject
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to drill
  23. court — of a king
  24. content — the amount

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