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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. hand — help
  9. bore — to tire
  10. net — for catching
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wind — moving air
  13. hand — in cards
  14. saw — the tool
  15. scale — size or range
  16. net — in sport
  17. wind — moving air
  18. net — after costs
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. scale — in music
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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