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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. field — for sport
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. toast — bread
  11. ground — a position
  12. board — a committee
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bore — to drill
  19. ground — crushed
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. board — to get on
  23. field — farmland
  24. fan — a supporter

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