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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. swing — to play on
  3. race — the arms race
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bore — to drill
  6. wind — moving air
  7. saw — the tool
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wind — moving air
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. swing — music
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wind — to turn a key
  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