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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: bore · game · trunk · wound · pitcher · squash · cold · key

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. cold — not warm
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. game — wild animals
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bore — to tire
  13. game — a match
  14. squash — the sport
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bore — to drill
  18. squash — to crush
  19. key — the most important part
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. key — for a lock
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wound — an injury

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