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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. field — a subject
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. field — farmland
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bore — to drill
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. hand — help
  17. mug — a face
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bore — to tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. field — for sport
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. tube — a container

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