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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 120 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. cell — a phone
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. ball — a dance
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bore — to drill
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bore — to tire
  24. coach — a trainer

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