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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bore — to tire
  8. game — a match
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bore — to drill
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — to bear
  15. tube — a container
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — the animal
  24. wave — of the sea

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