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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pop — to visit
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pop — soda
  5. bore — to drill
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. chair — a leader
  12. firm — a company
  13. track — a song
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pop — music
  18. firm — steady
  19. bore — to tire
  20. track — to keep track
  21. firm — decided
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — to sink
  24. row — to paddle

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