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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. field — a subject
  4. kid — child
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bore — to tire
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pound — a weight
  10. ground — a position
  11. bore — to drill
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. kid — to tease
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. field — for sport
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. ground — the earth
  24. field — farmland

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