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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. can — to be able to
  4. game — wild animals
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. row — a line
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bore — to drill
  10. game — a match
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. can — a tin
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. spring — the season
  15. bore — to tire
  16. spring — a coil
  17. can — a tin
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. club — for dancing
  21. spring — of water
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. row — to paddle

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