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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. ground — a position
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bore — to tire
  5. file — a tool
  6. rest — a break
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. file — a document
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. ground — the earth
  19. field — a subject
  20. ground — crushed
  21. rest — what's left
  22. field — for sport
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. file — a line of people

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