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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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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: nail · fine · row · mark · field · chip · bore · sharp

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. field — for sport
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. field — farmland
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bore — to tire
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bore — to drill
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — a line
  14. sharp — clever
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mark — a grade
  19. field — a subject
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. chip — to eat
  23. mark — a trace
  24. fine — all right

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