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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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Word bank
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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: bore · bat · chair · fork · season · pound · dip · suit

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. suit — clothes
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. suit — to fit
  13. bore — to drill
  14. season — of the year
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. season — in sport
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. pound — a weight
  20. dip — to sink
  21. suit — in cards
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. chair — a leader

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