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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 120 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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. board — to get on
  5. game — wild animals
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bore — to drill
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — a committee
  19. tube — a container
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. game — a match

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