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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. cue — for pool
  3. game — a match
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bore — to tire
  6. cue — a signal
  7. current — of water
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. row — a line
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wound — an injury
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wound — an injury
  16. current — happening now
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. row — to paddle
  20. current — electric
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bore — to drill

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