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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. wind — moving air
  3. staff — employees
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. net — in sport
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. staff — employees
  13. net — for catching
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bore — to tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. net — after costs
  23. wound — an injury
  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