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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. field — farmland
  3. board — a committee
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bore — to tire
  6. content — the amount
  7. band — a ring
  8. cap — of ice
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. band — a music group
  11. content — happy
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bore — to drill
  16. field — for sport
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cap — a lid
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — to get on
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cap — a hat
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. field — a subject

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