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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. field — for sport
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. band — a music group
  5. field — a subject
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. suit — clothes
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. field — farmland
  14. band — a ring
  15. suit — to fit
  16. drill — the tool
  17. suit — in cards
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. drill — army training
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bass — low music
  24. hide — to keep secret

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