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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pop — music
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. ground — a position
  5. pop — soda
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — to drill
  9. field — for sport
  10. suit — in cards
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. suit — to fit
  13. date — the fruit
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ground — crushed
  18. field — a subject
  19. pop — to visit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. ground — the earth
  22. field — farmland
  23. suit — clothes
  24. tear — from crying

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