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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. tube — a container
  6. bat — the animal
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. field — farmland
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cap — of ice
  14. field — a subject
  15. cap — a lid
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bore — to drill
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wind — moving air
  21. kick — in football
  22. cap — a hat
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bore — to tire

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