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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. content — the amount
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. present — a gift
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. content — happy
  9. bore — to drill
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bore — to tire
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. present — there
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. present — the time now
  18. content — videos and posts

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