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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 124 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bore — to drill
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. mine — for digging
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. saw — the tool
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. field — a subject
  12. bore — to tire
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. deal — to handle
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. chest — a box
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. snap — to click
  22. chest — of your body
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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