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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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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. ground — a position
  4. net — after costs
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. net — for catching
  11. bore — to drill
  12. net — in sport
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bore — to tire
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. pitcher — in baseball

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