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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. mate — a partner
  4. capital — a city
  5. bore — to tire
  6. staff — a stick
  7. field — a subject
  8. game — a match
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. capital — money
  14. mate — a friend
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. field — farmland
  17. staff — employees
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. field — for sport
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bore — to drill
  22. staff — employees
  23. foot — a measure
  24. capital — a big letter

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