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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — there
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rest — what's left
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. present — a gift
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bank — for money
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. content — happy
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. hand — help
  18. bore — to tire
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bank — for money
  22. rest — a break
  23. content — the amount
  24. pitch — completely

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