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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 116 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bore — to tire
  4. track — to keep track
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. ground — a position
  8. track — a path
  9. net — for catching
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. track — a song
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bore — to drill
  16. net — after costs
  17. capital — money
  18. net — in sport
  19. capital — a city
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — a phone
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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