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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 116 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. net — in sport
  3. bore — to drill
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. club — for golf
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. club — a group
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bore — to tire
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. net — after costs
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. sharp — clever
  20. club — for dancing
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. net — for catching
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bowl — a dish

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