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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bore — to tire
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pound — a weight
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pit — in a race
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. wind — moving air
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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