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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: pitcher · bore · race · land · coach · ball · mark · season

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  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. land — a country
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. race — the arms race
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bore — to tire
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. land — to come down
  12. season — of the year
  13. mark — a grade
  14. race — a contest
  15. mark — a trace
  16. ball — a great time
  17. land — ground
  18. race — humankind
  19. ball — a dance
  20. season — in sport
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  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