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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bore — to tire
  3. field — farmland
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bound — certain
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bound — obliged
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rash — hasty
  12. field — a subject
  13. charge — a price
  14. face — to confront
  15. rash — a series
  16. charge — electricity
  17. bound — tied together
  18. charge — in control
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. field — for sport
  24. bore — to drill

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