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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: toast · deal · bore · wound · game · rash · field · ball

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bore — to drill
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a dance
  5. field — a subject
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. wound — an injury
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. wound — an injury
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. toast — bread
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. game — a match
  20. field — for sport
  21. deal — to handle
  22. field — farmland
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bore — to tire

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