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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mate — a friend
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bore — to tire
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cap — a hat
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. rock — music
  9. bore — to drill
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mate — a partner
  13. game — a match
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — a stone
  21. mate — to breed
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. game — a kind of play

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