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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. hand — help
  5. bore — to drill
  6. plane — a tool
  7. hand — in cards
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. stand — to bear
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. last — to go on
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. game — a match
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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