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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bore — to drill
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fall — the season
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. field — farmland
  11. rule — a law
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. degree — from a university
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bore — to tire
  17. fall — to drop
  18. field — a subject
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rule — government
  24. field — for sport

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