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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. bore — to tire
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bore — to drill
  7. scale — in music
  8. chair — a leader
  9. cue — for pool
  10. net — after costs
  11. stand — to bear
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. cue — a hint
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. cue — a signal
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. hand — help
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. hand — in cards
  24. dip — to sink

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