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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: bore · ground · deal · pitcher · temple · cue · ball · chest

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bore — to tire
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bore — to drill
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cue — for pool
  12. ground — the earth
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. ground — a position
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. ball — a dance
  18. cue — a signal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. chest — a box
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cue — a hint
  24. chest — of your body

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