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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — for sport
  3. band — a music group
  4. bore — to tire
  5. charge — electricity
  6. band — a ring
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. charge — in control
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bore — to drill
  12. chair — a leader
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. saw — the tool
  15. field — a subject
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. charge — a price
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. saw — the tool
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. chair — a professorship

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