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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bore — to tire
  7. tube — a container
  8. pitch — completely
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — in football
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. tube — the underground
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bore — to drill
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. mine — for digging
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wake — a trail
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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