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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. object — a thing
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mug — to rob
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mug — a cup
  9. land — to come down
  10. bore — to drill
  11. land — ground
  12. kick — in football
  13. fork — in a road
  14. mug — a face
  15. object — to protest
  16. bore — to tire
  17. object — an aim
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. land — a country
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. fork — to eat with

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