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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 120 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. ground — a position
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bound — certain
  7. ground — the earth
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ground — crushed
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bound — obliged
  12. content — the amount
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bound — tied together
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bore — to drill
  17. drill — army training
  18. prune — to trim
  19. drill — the tool
  20. land — ground
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. content — happy
  24. sharp — with an edge

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