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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bore — to tire
  8. kid — to tease
  9. land — ground
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. land — a country
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. mate — a friend
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. kid — child
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mate — a partner
  24. rock — music

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