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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. mug — a cup
  3. field — for sport
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. field — farmland
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mug — a face
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. game — wild animals
  14. field — a subject
  15. ball — a dance
  16. mug — to rob
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bore — to tire
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bore — to drill
  24. date — the fruit

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