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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. field — for sport
  4. land — ground
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. net — after costs
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. field — farmland
  12. bear — the animal
  13. land — to come down
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to tire
  16. land — a country
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. net — for catching
  20. vault — a safe
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. net — in sport
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. field — a subject

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