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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: season · bear · swing · drill · court · pound · rush · bore

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. pound — a weight
  2. swing — in golf
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. rush — hurry
  7. drill — army training
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. drill — the tool
  15. season — in sport
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bore — to tire
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. court — of a king
  20. season — of the year
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — music
  23. bear — the animal
  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