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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's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wound — an injury
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pitch — completely
  8. mug — a cup
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. field — for sport
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. drill — army training
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bore — to tire
  19. drill — the tool
  20. field — farmland
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mug — a face
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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