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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. pop — soda
  7. can — to be able to
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bore — to tire
  14. can — a tin
  15. pop — music
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bore — to drill
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bass — low music
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. can — a tin
  24. field — farmland

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