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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cue — a signal
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. cue — a hint
  6. capital — a city
  7. game — a match
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cue — for pool
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bore — to tire
  13. branch — a division
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bore — to drill
  16. capital — money
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. racket — for tennis

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