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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bore — to drill
  5. fork — in a road
  6. content — the amount
  7. spell — a short time
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. spell — letters
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bore — to tire
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. spell — magic
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. field — a subject
  17. content — happy
  18. bulb — for light
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. field — farmland
  24. hide — to keep secret

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