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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pitch — completely
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. field — a subject
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bore — to drill
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — for sport
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bound — certain
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bound — tied together
  20. game — a match
  21. wound — an injury
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bound — obliged

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