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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: nail · bowl · suit · bore · pound · game · bass · sharp

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. suit — to fit
  3. bore — to drill
  4. suit — clothes
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — low music
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. sharp — clever
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bore — to tire

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