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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bass — low music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. date — the fruit
  16. branch — a division
  17. rock — a stone
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rock — music
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. coach — a trainer

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