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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. court — for sport
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bore — to drill
  11. band — a music group
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. swing — in golf
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. court — of law
  17. band — a ring
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. court — of a king
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. safe — out of danger

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