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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. track — to keep track
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pitch — completely
  7. scale — size or range
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. scale — in music
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pound — a weight
  14. mark — a grade
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. track — a path
  17. capital — a city
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. capital — money
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bore — to drill
  24. track — a song

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