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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. current — of water
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. current — happening now
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bear — the animal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. spell — letters
  18. bear — the animal
  19. current — electric
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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