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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. ground — the earth
  4. track — a song
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. cell — in biology
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. swing — in golf
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. bore — to drill
  11. net — for catching
  12. vault — a safe
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. track — a path
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bore — to tire
  18. ground — crushed
  19. net — after costs
  20. cell — a phone
  21. swing — to play on
  22. track — to keep track
  23. swing — music
  24. net — in 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