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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. track — a path
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. game — wild animals
  7. track — to keep track
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mate — a friend
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bore — to tire
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. mine — for digging
  19. track — a song
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bore — to drill
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bore — gave birth

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