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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 116 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. file — a tool
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bound — tied together
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. current — electric
  12. land — ground
  13. file — a line of people
  14. land — to come down
  15. file — a document
  16. bound — obliged
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. current — happening now
  19. bore — to tire
  20. current — of water
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. kick — in football
  23. pound — a weight
  24. land — a country

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