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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: bowl · file · game · pitch · deal · sharp · wound · bore

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bore — to drill
  9. file — a tool
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. file — a document
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bore — to tire
  19. sharp — clever
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. game — wild animals
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. pitch — a sports field

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