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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. ball — a great time
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bore — to tire
  10. board — to get on
  11. content — happy
  12. mine — for digging
  13. ball — a dance
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. content — the amount
  16. charge — in control
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. charge — a price
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bore — to drill
  23. charge — electricity
  24. board — a committee

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