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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. ground — a position
  4. wind — moving air
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bore — to tire
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bore — to drill
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. can — a tin
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. ground — crushed
  13. track — a path
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — all right
  16. wind — moving air
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. can — a tin
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. fine — high quality
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. foot — a measure
  24. track — to keep track

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