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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 120 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bore — to tire
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bore — to drill
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. fall — the season
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. fall — to drop
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. arm — part of the body

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