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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bore — to drill
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. scale — in music
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. board — a committee
  16. bear — the animal
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bore — to tire
  21. board — to get on
  22. season — of the year
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. season — in sport

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