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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
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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: wave · fine · roll · bore · game · staff · cold · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. game — a match
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. cold — an illness
  5. staff — a stick
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. roll — a cake
  8. game — wild animals
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. staff — employees
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — to tire
  14. roll — a list
  15. fine — all right
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. staff — employees
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. ball — a dance
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. fine — high quality

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