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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 116 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a friend
  4. present — the time now
  5. ground — crushed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bore — to drill
  8. present — a gift
  9. board — a committee
  10. bore — to tire
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — the underground
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. ground — a position
  16. field — for sport
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. board — to get on
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. ground — the earth
  24. tube — in a tire

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