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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. land — ground
  3. firm — a company
  4. firm — steady
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. land — a country
  9. field — for sport
  10. clip — to cut
  11. field — farmland
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bore — to tire
  14. field — a subject
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. land — to come down
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. firm — decided
  23. clip — a video
  24. bore — to drill

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