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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're almost out of ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. field — a subject
  3. race — humankind
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rest — what's left
  6. field — for sport
  7. pop — music
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rest — a break
  10. club — for golf
  11. pop — to visit
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. race — the arms race
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. club — a group
  19. press — to push
  20. bore — to drill
  21. field — farmland
  22. club — for dancing
  23. rest — what's left
  24. race — a contest

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