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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · hand · fall · pitcher · ball · rule

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. rule — a law
  3. bore — to tire
  4. fall — the season
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rule — government
  7. hand — help
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. ball — a dance
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bore — to drill
  18. rule — to rule out

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