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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. court — of law
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pit — in a race
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lean — thin
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. court — of a king
  14. bore — to drill
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. wound — an injury
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. court — for sport
  24. leaves — lets stay

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