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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to tire
  4. game — a match
  5. game — wild animals
  6. scale — in music
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cue — for pool
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. scale — size or range
  12. cue — a signal
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bowl — to roll

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