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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 120 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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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: last · foot · prune · bore · chip · spell · pound · court

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. chip — for betting
  4. spell — letters
  5. court — of a king
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. chip — to eat
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. spell — a short time
  12. court — for sport
  13. bore — to tire
  14. last — to go on
  15. foot — a measure
  16. spell — magic
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. court — of law
  19. bore — to drill
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pound — a weight
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. last — final
  24. chip — in a computer

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