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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. tube — the underground
  3. field — for sport
  4. bore — to tire
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. tube — a container
  7. field — a subject
  8. roll — a list
  9. pass — a permit
  10. root — of a word
  11. field — farmland
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. root — the cause
  14. roll — a cake
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bore — to drill
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. tube — in a tire

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