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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 120 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. drill — a practice
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. present — there
  6. present — a gift
  7. mug — to rob
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. mug — a face
  10. club — a group
  11. bore — to drill
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. drill — army training
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bore — to tire
  16. foot — a measure
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. drill — the tool
  20. present — the time now
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. mark — a grade
  23. stem — to come from
  24. club — for dancing

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