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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cue — a hint
  4. rock — a stone
  5. field — a subject
  6. bore — to drill
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cell — in biology
  11. file — a tool
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. field — for sport
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pitcher — a jug

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