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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — a cake
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pitch — completely
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lean — thin
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — to drill
  23. lean — to bend
  24. pit — in a race

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