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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. kick — in football
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. field — for sport
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bore — to drill
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. cell — a phone
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. mark — a trace
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. shower — rain
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. wound — an injury
  20. field — farmland
  21. wound — an injury
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bore — to tire
  24. field — a subject

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