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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: bowl · bore · rule · wave · mark · coach · ball · pound

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. ball — a dance
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pound — a weight
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bore — to tire
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rule — a law
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. rule — government
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. pound — for dogs

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