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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bore — to tire
  3. capital — a city
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. kid — child
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. stem — to come from
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. capital — money
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bore — to drill
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. chip — for betting
  22. kid — to tease
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pound — a weight

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