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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. swing — in golf
  4. plane — a tool
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. shower — rain
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bore — to drill
  16. land — to come down
  17. bore — to tire
  18. swing — music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. land — ground
  21. mate — to breed
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mate — a friend
  24. shower — to wash

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