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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: bore · coach · foot · present · race · mine · jam · lean

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. race — the arms race
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. foot — a measure
  8. bore — to drill
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. present — a gift
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. mine — for digging
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — humankind
  15. lean — to bend
  16. present — there
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bore — to tire
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. lean — thin
  24. present — the time now

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