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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pit — a hole
  3. net — in sport
  4. bound — certain
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bore — to tire
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. bound — obliged
  15. track — a song
  16. net — after costs
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bore — to drill
  19. spell — letters
  20. net — for catching
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. track — a path
  24. bound — tied together

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