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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · can · race · drill · chair · field · kick · pass

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. field — for sport
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pass — a permit
  5. field — farmland
  6. race — a contest
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. can — to be able to
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. chair — a leader
  14. drill — army training
  15. field — a subject
  16. drill — a practice
  17. kick — in football
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. drill — the tool
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. can — a tin
  24. chair — a professorship

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