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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. cap — a lid
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bore — to tire
  7. row — to paddle
  8. capital — money
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. cap — a hat
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bore — to drill
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. field — farmland
  15. capital — a city
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. field — a subject
  18. pound — a weight
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. court — of law
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. field — for sport

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