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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. fine — all right
  6. rush — hurry
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bore — to tire
  15. sharp — clever
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. fine — high quality
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. net — in sport
  24. rush — to hurry

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