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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: cold · bore · bowl · present · field · cabinet · pitch · fan

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. field — for sport
  4. bore — to drill
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. field — a subject
  8. present — the time now
  9. field — farmland
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pitch — completely
  21. present — there
  22. present — a gift
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. fan — to cool the air

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