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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bore — to drill
  3. swing — music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fork — in a road
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bore — to tire
  19. game — a match
  20. rush — hurry
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wound — an injury
  24. swing — to play on

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