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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. field — for sport
  3. cue — a hint
  4. rock — music
  5. cue — a signal
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rock — a stone
  10. field — a subject
  11. squash — to crush
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. squash — the sport
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. field — farmland
  20. bore — to tire
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. plane — a tool
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. cue — for pool

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