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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bore — to drill
  5. file — a tool
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to tire
  8. rash — a series
  9. file — a line of people
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a trace
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. file — a document
  15. charge — in control
  16. field — farmland
  17. charge — electricity
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pass — a permit
  20. charge — a price
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. field — for sport
  24. date — the fruit

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