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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. board — to get on
  4. spell — letters
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bore — to drill
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. deal — to handle
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bore — to tire
  14. clip — to cut
  15. board — a committee
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. clip — for paper
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. field — farmland
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. spell — magic
  22. clip — a video
  23. field — for sport
  24. leaves — to go away

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