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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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to tire
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — in football
  6. swing — in golf
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. swing — to play on
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. season — in sport
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — a leader
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. swing — music
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bore — to drill
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. pitch — a sports field

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