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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. content — the amount
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. row — to paddle
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. content — happy
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. shower — rain
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bore — to tire
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. band — a ring
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. row — a line
  21. bore — to drill
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. shower — to wash

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