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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 was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bound — certain
  5. field — farmland
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. present — there
  8. field — for sport
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. present — a gift
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. field — a subject
  14. bat — the animal
  15. chip — for betting
  16. present — the time now
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bound — tied together
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bound — obliged

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