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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 116 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bore — to tire
  7. shower — rain
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bore — to drill
  15. deal — to handle
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. field — farmland
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bound — obliged
  20. plane — a tool
  21. perch — the fish
  22. field — a subject
  23. bound — certain
  24. field — for sport

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