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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. bore — to tire
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. kid — to tease
  4. mark — a trace
  5. field — farmland
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bank — of a river
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pop — soda
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bank — for money
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. game — a match
  15. field — for sport
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. kid — child
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bank — for money
  22. pop — music
  23. lie — to recline
  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