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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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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. season — of the year
  3. content — the amount
  4. land — to come down
  5. staff — employees
  6. bore — to tire
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. content — happy
  12. rock — a stone
  13. season — in sport
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. land — a country
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bore — to drill
  18. rock — music

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