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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. object — to protest
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bore — to tire
  5. field — a subject
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pop — to visit
  8. object — an aim
  9. field — farmland
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bass — low music
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. object — a thing
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bore — to drill
  21. band — a ring
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. bass — the instrument

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