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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · bore · squash · coach · game · pitcher · scale · mouse

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. squash — to crush
  4. game — a match
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bore — to tire
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. game — wild animals
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. tube — the underground
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bore — to drill
  24. scale — size or range

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