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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bore — to drill
  3. ground — crushed
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. cold — an illness
  6. ground — a position
  7. spell — magic
  8. cold — not warm
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pass — a permit
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bore — to tire
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spell — a short time
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. spell — letters
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. squash — the sport

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