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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 120 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. bore — to drill
  3. can — a tin
  4. squash — to crush
  5. firm — a company
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. charge — electricity
  8. field — farmland
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bore — to tire
  11. charge — a price
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. squash — the sport
  14. dip — to sink
  15. firm — steady
  16. can — to be able to
  17. field — for sport
  18. mine — for digging
  19. field — a subject
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. can — a tin
  23. charge — in control
  24. squash — the vegetable

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