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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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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. scale — in music
  3. land — ground
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. lean — to bend
  7. board — to get on
  8. field — for sport
  9. lean — thin
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bore — to tire
  15. field — a subject
  16. land — a country
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. scale — size or range
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. field — farmland
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. land — to come down
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bowl — to roll

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