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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · pitcher · temple · ball · pop · drill · wax · bat

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. drill — the tool
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pop — soda
  5. bat — the animal
  6. wax — to grow
  7. game — wild animals
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ball — a dance
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pop — to visit
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. drill — a practice
  17. pop — music
  18. ball — a great time
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. drill — army training
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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