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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · arm · ruler · pitcher · bore · saw · bowl · pit

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bore — to drill
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bore — to tire
  24. cold — the Cold War

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