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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mug — a face
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bore — to drill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. face — to point toward
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — to rob
  16. saw — the tool
  17. face — to confront
  18. bark — to shout
  19. face — part of the head
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  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