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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rest — a break
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. track — to keep track
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. wound — an injury
  11. track — a path
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bore — to drill
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. game — a match
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bore — to tire
  22. rest — what's left
  23. track — a song
  24. safe — out of danger

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