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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 116 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. pound — a weight
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. land — a country
  13. content — happy
  14. content — the amount
  15. pass — a permit
  16. field — farmland
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. field — for sport
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. field — a subject
  24. bore — to drill

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