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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pit — a hole
  3. object — an aim
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. field — for sport
  7. degree — from a university
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pit — in a race
  10. object — a thing
  11. bore — to drill
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. object — to protest
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. degree — an amount
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. degree — temperature
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bore — gave birth

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