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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: chair · bore · bay · ruler · net · pitcher · branch · pit

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. net — for catching
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. net — in sport
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bore — to tire
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. net — after costs

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