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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. field — a subject
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. field — farmland
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — a stone
  9. kick — in football
  10. rash — a series
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. race — the arms race
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. race — a contest
  15. rock — music
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. race — humankind
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. field — for sport
  24. bore — to drill

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