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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bore — to drill
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. tube — a container
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. swing — in golf
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. field — a subject
  11. bore — to tire
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. shower — rain
  16. tube — the underground
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. swing — to play on
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. fork — in a road
  22. swing — music
  23. shower — to wash
  24. cabinet — ministers

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