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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — to play on
  4. ground — crushed
  5. stem — to come from
  6. ground — the earth
  7. swing — music
  8. ground — a position
  9. court — of law
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — to get on
  13. bore — to drill
  14. court — of a king
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — a partner
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. scale — in music
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. scale — size or range
  24. court — for sport

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