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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. season — of the year
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. season — in sport
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. net — in sport
  24. hand — help

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