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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 120 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. track — a song
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. rock — a stone
  8. swing — to play on
  9. rock — music
  10. pound — a weight
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. swing — music
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. track — a path
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bore — to drill

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