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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bore — to drill
  3. court — of a king
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. degree — from a university
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. land — ground
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. track — a path
  13. spring — of water
  14. land — to come down
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. track — to keep track
  19. spring — the season
  20. track — a song
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bore — to tire
  23. spring — a coil
  24. degree — temperature

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