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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: game · cue · pound · straw · mine · march · bore · saw

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. march — the month
  6. pound — a weight
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. march — music
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bore — to drill
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. march — the month
  16. cue — a signal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bore — to tire
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. cue — a hint
  24. game — a match

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