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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bore — to tire
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. swing — to play on
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bore — to drill
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. swing — music
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. mark — a trace

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