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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. tube — the underground
  3. rule — a law
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bore — to tire
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. cold — an illness
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. tube — a container
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — not warm
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. rush — hurry
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bore — to drill

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