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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bore — to tire
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fine — high quality
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. file — a line of people
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bore — to drill
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. file — a document
  21. fine — all right
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. file — a tool
  24. calf — of the leg

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