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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: foot · land · roll · kid · cap · fine · bore · ground

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. land — a country
  3. ground — crushed
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bore — to tire
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. cap — of ice
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. ground — a position
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. fine — all right
  15. land — ground
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bore — to drill
  18. roll — a list
  19. fine — high quality
  20. cap — a lid
  21. foot — a measure
  22. ground — the earth
  23. kid — child
  24. land — to come down

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