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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — music
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bore — to tire
  9. swing — in golf
  10. shower — rain
  11. chair — a leader
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bore — to drill
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — to wash
  16. stock — goods
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. stock — shares
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. stock — a soup base

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