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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bore — to drill
  4. cold — an illness
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rock — music
  10. firm — steady
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. firm — decided
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. rock — a stone
  16. firm — a company
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. game — a match
  19. cold — not warm
  20. content — the amount
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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