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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: pop · game · bore · face · club · pitcher · key · ruler

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  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. bore — to tire
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. club — for golf
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. key — in music
  9. pop — soda
  10. club — a group
  11. key — the most important part
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. game — wild animals
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. face — to point toward
  18. key — for a lock
  19. club — for dancing
  20. pop — music
  21. game — a match
  22. face — to confront
  23. pop — to visit
  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