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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bore — to tire
  3. key — for a lock
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. field — a subject
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. firm — steady
  8. field — for sport
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. shower — to wash
  13. key — the most important part
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. firm — decided
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. firm — a company
  18. field — farmland
  19. present — there
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. shower — rain
  22. key — in music
  23. present — the time now
  24. bore — to drill

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