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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bore — to tire
  4. board — to get on
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. saw — the tool
  7. field — for sport
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — music
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. field — a subject
  15. saw — the tool
  16. board — a committee
  17. present — the time now
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. present — there
  20. bore — to drill
  21. field — farmland
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pitch — completely

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