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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 was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. game — wild animals
  3. band — a music group
  4. shower — rain
  5. bore — to tire
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bore — to drill
  8. suit — to fit
  9. band — a ring
  10. wind — moving air
  11. foot — a measure
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. game — a match
  16. suit — in cards
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. roll — a cake
  19. suit — clothes
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. roll — a list
  24. game — a kind of play

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