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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bore — to drill
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. mark — a trace
  8. net — after costs
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a flat piece

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