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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. march — the month
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. march — music
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bear — the animal
  17. season — in sport
  18. march — the month
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. season — of the year
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bore — to drill

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