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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. field — for sport
  3. bore — to drill
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. field — farmland
  11. bark — to shout
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. game — wild animals
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. game — a match
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bass — low music
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. field — a subject
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bore — to tire

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