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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. mate — to breed
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. mate — a partner
  8. capital — money
  9. content — happy
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bore — to tire
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. content — the amount

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