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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: row · rest · coach · chair · date · bore · net · rash

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. rest — a break
  4. bore — to drill
  5. net — for catching
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rash — hasty
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. date — the fruit
  16. row — a line
  17. net — in sport
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. rest — what's left
  20. row — to paddle
  21. rest — what's left
  22. net — after costs
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bore — gave birth

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