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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bore — to tire
  7. game — a match
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. game — wild animals
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. stock — shares
  22. sharp — clever
  23. deal — to handle
  24. game — a kind of play

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