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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 116 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.

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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 · sharp · object · dip · hand · track · game · row

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. sharp — clever
  5. hand — in cards
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bore — to drill
  9. hand — help
  10. row — a line
  11. track — to keep track
  12. object — a thing
  13. bore — to tire
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. track — a path
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. row — to paddle
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. game — a match
  21. object — to protest
  22. game — wild animals
  23. track — a song
  24. dip — to sink

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