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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 120 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 · bass · pop · bowl · swing · hand · pitcher · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pop — soda
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. pop — music
  14. bass — low music
  15. pop — to visit
  16. swing — music
  17. bass — the fish
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bore — to tire
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bore — to drill

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