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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.

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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: pitcher · leaves · mine · club · game · bore · rest · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bore — to drill
  6. club — for dancing
  7. game — a match
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mine — for digging
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to tire
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rest — a break
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — a group
  24. game — wild animals

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