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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. game — a match
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. present — there
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. club — for dancing
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. present — a gift
  10. club — a group
  11. field — for sport
  12. game — wild animals
  13. scale — size or range
  14. present — the time now
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. season — of the year
  19. scale — in music
  20. field — farmland
  21. season — in sport
  22. club — for golf
  23. field — a subject
  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