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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 124 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. deal — to handle
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bore — to tire
  8. spell — letters
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. spell — a short time
  11. court — of a king
  12. field — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. row — a line
  16. pit — in a race
  17. fine — high quality
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. fine — all right
  20. spell — magic
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bore — to drill
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bore — gave birth

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