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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. hand — in cards
  3. deal — to handle
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. field — a subject
  8. bore — to tire
  9. key — in music
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hand — help
  12. key — the most important part
  13. fall — the season
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. field — farmland
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. key — for a lock
  19. fall — to drop
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bore — to drill
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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