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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bore — to tire
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — happy
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — a tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. bore — to drill
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. game — a match
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. ground — a position
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. plane — an aircraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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