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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · present · leaves · court · bore · pass · perch · pound

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bore — to drill
  4. court — of law
  5. present — a gift
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. court — of a king
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. court — for sport
  12. present — the time now
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. present — there
  18. pound — a weight
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. pass — a permit
  21. perch — the fish
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. chest — a box

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