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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 120 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bore — to drill
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. track — to keep track
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. mine — for digging
  14. track — a song
  15. object — to protest
  16. pop — music
  17. object — a thing
  18. track — a path
  19. object — an aim
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pop — soda

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