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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 120 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: pit · mouse · coach · rash · bore · content · pitcher · season

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pit — in a race
  4. rash — a series
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bore — to drill
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. content — the amount
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pit — a hole
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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