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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rush — hurry
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. can — a tin
  6. field — farmland
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. spell — magic
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. field — a subject
  11. wound — an injury
  12. board — to get on
  13. spell — a short time
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. can — a tin
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. board — a committee
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bore — to tire
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bore — to drill
  22. field — for sport
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. can — to be able to

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