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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bore — to tire
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. craft — boats
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pass — a permit
  23. craft — a skill
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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