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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. row — a line
  3. present — there
  4. field — for sport
  5. kid — to tease
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bore — to drill
  8. row — to paddle
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — in music
  11. present — a gift
  12. kid — child
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. present — the time now
  15. field — a subject
  16. bore — to tire
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. field — farmland
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. pound — a weight
  24. key — for a lock

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