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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bass — the fish
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. pop — music
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bore — to drill
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mug — a cup
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pop — soda
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. mug — a face
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bass — low music
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pitcher — a jug

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