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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. swing — music
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. swing — in golf
  5. bass — low music
  6. bore — to tire
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. bore — to drill
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. swing — to play on
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pitch — completely
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bass — the fish
  17. date — the fruit
  18. rule — government
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. rule — a law
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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