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

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. 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. bore — gave birth
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. field — for sport
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bore — to drill
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pound — a weight
  9. field — farmland
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. field — a subject
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. land — to come down
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. 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