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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 · bore · court · pitcher · leaves · band · snap · mark

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. court — of law
  6. bore — to drill
  7. snap — to click
  8. pop — music
  9. court — of a king
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — a grade
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pop — to visit
  15. court — for sport
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pop — soda
  20. bore — to tire
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. leaves — of a tree

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