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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bore — to tire
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ball — a dance
  5. cue — a hint
  6. perch — the fish
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. field — a subject
  10. bat — the animal
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. ball — a great time
  18. cue — for pool
  19. field — for sport
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bore — gave birth
  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