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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. court — for sport
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bore — to drill
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bore — to tire
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. shower — rain
  11. court — of a king
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. net — in sport
  14. bear — the animal
  15. net — after costs
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. net — for catching
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bear — the animal
  23. shower — to wash
  24. court — of law

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