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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: degree · rash · pitch · lean · chair · can · coach · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. lean — thin
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bore — to tire
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. degree — from a university
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chair — a leader
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. rash — a series
  16. can — a tin
  17. degree — an amount
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. degree — temperature
  20. rash — hasty
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bore — to drill
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pitch — completely

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