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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: ball · cue · wake · bore · chest · field · hide · file

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bore — to tire
  5. ball — a dance
  6. file — a tool
  7. chest — a box
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wake — a trail
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. field — farmland
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. file — a document
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. chest — of your body
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bore — to drill
  20. field — a subject
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. cue — a signal
  23. chest — of your body
  24. hide — animal skin

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