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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. spell — a short time
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. spell — letters
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. track — a song
  8. spell — magic
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. track — a path
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. track — to keep track
  15. field — a subject
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. field — for sport
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bore — to drill
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. field — farmland
  24. temple — a place of worship

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