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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. game — a match
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. band — a ring
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. game — wild animals
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. roll — a cake
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. pass — a permit
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. roll — a list
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bore — to drill
  24. band — a music group

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