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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. field — for sport
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. mark — a grade
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. field — farmland
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. field — a subject
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. dip — to sink
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — to drill
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. kick — in football
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. ground — the earth
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. ground — a position

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