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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: cue · bore · pitcher · bat · season · bear · kid · plane

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bore — to drill
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. kid — to tease
  10. season — in sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cue — a hint
  13. season — of the year
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bat — the animal
  23. plane — a tool
  24. kid — child

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