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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ball — a great time
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. hand — help
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spring — of water
  15. hand — in cards
  16. game — a match
  17. bore — to tire
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. ball — a dance
  22. spring — the season
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a kind of play

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