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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bass — low music
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. wound — an injury
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bore — to drill
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. board — a committee
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. board — to get on
  21. press — to push
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bowl — a football final

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