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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 120 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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cue — for pool
  4. game — a match
  5. bore — to tire
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. root — of a plant
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. wind — moving air
  11. root — the cause
  12. bore — to drill
  13. ball — a dance
  14. cue — a signal
  15. game — wild animals
  16. cue — a hint
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. root — of a word

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