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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. swing — in golf
  3. spring — of water
  4. bore — to tire
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. swing — to play on
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mate — a friend
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. swing — music
  23. pound — a weight
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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