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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. game — wild animals
  3. ground — crushed
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. ground — a position
  6. swing — in golf
  7. staff — employees
  8. fall — to drop
  9. court — for sport
  10. staff — a stick
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bore — to drill
  15. staff — employees
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — music
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. game — a match
  21. ground — the earth
  22. swing — music
  23. bore — to tire
  24. rock — to move gently

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