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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. tube — a container
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. kick — in football
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mate — to breed
  12. cue — a hint
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. cue — for pool
  15. tube — the underground
  16. wound — an injury
  17. press — to push
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to drill
  21. cue — a signal
  22. press — newspapers
  23. mate — a friend
  24. kick — a thrill

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