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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. club — for golf
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. perch — the fish
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. club — a group
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bore — to tire
  12. snap — to click
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bore — to drill
  17. capital — money
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. capital — a city
  22. club — for dancing
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. coach — a trainer

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