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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 116 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 is an ace ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. track — a path
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. game — a match
  7. shower — rain
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bore — to drill
  10. cue — a hint
  11. track — a song
  12. cue — for pool
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. game — wild animals
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. hand — help
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bore — to tire
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. hand — in cards
  22. squash — the sport
  23. cue — a signal
  24. shower — to wash

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