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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. season — in sport
  4. kid — to tease
  5. ground — the earth
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. spring — of water
  8. firm — steady
  9. ground — crushed
  10. firm — a company
  11. scale — in music
  12. ground — a position
  13. firm — decided
  14. bore — to drill
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bore — to tire
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. scale — size or range

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