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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. season — of the year
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bark — to shout
  11. track — a song
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. mug — to rob
  14. saw — the tool
  15. season — in sport
  16. saw — the tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. mug — a face
  22. bore — to tire
  23. mug — a cup
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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