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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  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. mug — to rob
  2. season — in sport
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mug — a face
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. season — of the year
  16. craft — boats
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. craft — a skill
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. row — a line
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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