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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. rock — music
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — hasty
  5. field — farmland
  6. charge — a price
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — low music
  9. field — a subject
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bass — the fish
  12. track — a path
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. charge — electricity
  18. track — a song
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. field — for sport
  21. bore — to drill
  22. track — to keep track
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. charge — in control

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