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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 116 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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bore — to tire
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pit — in a race
  8. row — to paddle
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pit — a hole
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. rash — a series
  13. row — a line
  14. pitch — completely
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cell — a phone
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bore — to drill
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. cell — in biology

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