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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. game — a match
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rush — hurry
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bore — to drill
  23. game — wild animals
  24. hand — help

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