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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. bear — the animal
  7. field — a subject
  8. cue — a signal
  9. spring — a coil
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. cue — for pool
  13. rock — music
  14. spring — the season
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bear — the animal
  17. ball — a great time
  18. spring — of water
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. cue — a hint
  21. rock — a stone
  22. hand — help
  23. bore — to tire
  24. ball — a round shape

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