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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. sharp — clever
  4. field — a subject
  5. present — the time now
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. fork — in a road
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. field — for sport
  14. row — a line
  15. bore — to drill
  16. present — a gift
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. vault — a safe
  19. bass — low music
  20. row — to paddle
  21. field — farmland
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. present — there

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