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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 124 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. band — a ring
  4. bore — to drill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. band — a music group
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — a subject
  11. content — happy
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. capital — a city
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. field — for sport
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. capital — money
  19. content — the amount
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. fan — to cool the air

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