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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. field — a subject
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bore — to drill
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — a tool
  8. season — of the year
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. field — farmland
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. season — in sport
  13. cold — an illness
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. cold — not warm
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bass — low music
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. field — for sport
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. degree — from a university

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