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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: suit · bore · cold · game · can · club · foot · pitcher

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cold — not warm
  3. club — for golf
  4. can — a tin
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bore — to tire
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. can — a tin
  11. cold — an illness
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. game — wild animals
  16. suit — clothes
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bore — to drill
  21. game — a match
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — a group
  24. pitcher — a jug

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