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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. foot — a measure
  3. tube — a container
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bore — to tire
  6. court — for sport
  7. staff — a stick
  8. object — to protest
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. object — a thing
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — the animal
  14. staff — employees
  15. tube — the underground
  16. ground — a position
  17. object — an aim
  18. court — of law
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. staff — employees
  21. ground — crushed
  22. court — of a king
  23. bore — to drill
  24. ground — the earth

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