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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bound — certain
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. squash — to crush
  8. degree — from a university
  9. field — farmland
  10. squash — the sport
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bound — tied together
  15. staff — employees
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. staff — employees
  20. field — for sport
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to spend time

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