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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bore — to drill
  3. cap — a hat
  4. field — a subject
  5. board — a committee
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. snap — to click
  10. field — farmland
  11. hand — help
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bore — to tire
  18. board — to get on
  19. hand — in cards
  20. field — for sport
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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