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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mark — a trace
  3. march — the month
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. field — a subject
  6. march — music
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. march — the month
  10. mark — a grade
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. field — for sport
  18. bore — to tire
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bore — to drill
  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