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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: drill · mark · ground · pound · racket · chair · rest · bore

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. ground — a position
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. drill — a practice
  7. rest — what's left
  8. ground — crushed
  9. drill — army training
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bore — to drill
  17. ground — the earth
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mark — a trace
  22. drill — the tool
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bore — to tire

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