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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 ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. squash — to crush
  3. game — wild animals
  4. net — for catching
  5. cue — a signal
  6. scale — in music
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. net — after costs
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. bore — to tire
  13. cue — for pool
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bore — to drill
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. game — a match
  21. net — in sport
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. cue — a hint

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