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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bulb — for light
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. mug — a face
  8. field — farmland
  9. chair — a leader
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. mug — a cup
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. field — for sport
  17. bulb — for light
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bore — to drill
  20. wind — moving air
  21. field — a subject
  22. mug — to rob
  23. wind — moving air
  24. chair — a professorship

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