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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. net — in sport
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bore — to drill
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. hand — in cards
  11. net — after costs
  12. bore — to tire
  13. hand — help
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. net — for catching
  16. pitch — completely
  17. ball — a great time
  18. hand — part of the body

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