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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. field — for sport
  3. mark — a grade
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bore — to tire
  9. scale — in music
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. field — farmland
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. clip — to cut
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pound — a weight
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. pound — for dogs
  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