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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. saw — the tool
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bore — to drill
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. tear — from crying
  14. content — the amount
  15. date — the fruit
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. content — happy
  18. bore — to tire
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. sharp — clever
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. tear — to rip

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