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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bore — to drill
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. field — farmland
  7. scale — in music
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. scale — size or range
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. present — the time now
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. present — there
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. present — a gift

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