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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. spring — the season
  3. court — for sport
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pitch — completely
  8. file — a tool
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. court — of law
  11. bore — to drill
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — a face
  14. file — a line of people
  15. spring — of water
  16. present — there
  17. file — a document
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. court — of a king
  20. game — a match
  21. present — the time now
  22. spring — a coil
  23. present — a gift
  24. bore — to tire

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