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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — to drill
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. sharp — clever
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rush — hurry
  14. race — a contest
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. race — humankind
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. capital — a city
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. race — the arms race
  24. rush — a thrill

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