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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. row — a line
  13. rash — a series
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cap — of ice
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rash — hasty
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bore — to tire
  24. row — a quarrel

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