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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. present — a gift
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. present — there
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. content — the amount
  15. bore — to tire
  16. present — the time now
  17. land — ground
  18. bore — to drill

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