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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pitch — completely
  6. court — of law
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. game — a match
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bulb — for light
  13. shower — rain
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. court — for sport
  17. bulb — for light
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bore — to tire
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. rest — what's left
  23. dip — to sink
  24. court — of a king

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