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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  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. rule — a law
  2. craft — boats
  3. bore — to drill
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — a trace
  8. shower — rain
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. rule — government
  23. bore — to tire
  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