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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. field — for sport
  4. drill — a practice
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. court — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. season — of the year
  10. lean — thin
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bore — to drill
  13. field — farmland
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. drill — army training
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — of law
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bore — to tire
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. plane — a tool
  24. lean — to bend

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