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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · court · rush · bass · pitcher · mine · lash · date

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. court — of law
  6. date — the fruit
  7. rush — hurry
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bass — low music
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. court — for sport
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. court — of a king
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bore — to tire
  23. mine — for digging
  24. lash — an eyelash

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