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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to drill
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. capital — a city
  5. shower — rain
  6. foot — a measure
  7. capital — money
  8. pound — a weight
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. swing — music
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bore — to tire
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. shower — to wash
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. swing — to play on
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. swing — in golf

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