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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mate — a partner
  3. game — wild animals
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. roll — a list
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. mate — to breed
  15. game — a match
  16. bore — to tire
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — low music
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bore — to drill
  24. roll — a cake

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