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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. squash — to crush
  5. track — to keep track
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bore — to drill
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. swing — in golf
  12. net — after costs
  13. swing — to play on
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bore — to tire
  17. swing — music
  18. squash — the sport
  19. track — a song
  20. foot — a measure
  21. net — for catching
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. net — in sport
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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