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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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 drill
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. court — of a king
  4. bore — to tire
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. race — a contest
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. race — humankind
  10. court — for sport
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. field — farmland
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. field — for sport
  15. mine — for digging
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. court — of law
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. race — the arms race
  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