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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bear — the animal
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. club — a group
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bear — the animal
  8. sharp — clever
  9. swing — music
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — in golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. field — a subject
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — a contest
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. race — the arms race
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. club — for golf

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