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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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. charge — a price
  4. last — to go on
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. content — the amount
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. season — of the year
  10. charge — electricity
  11. last — finally
  12. bore — to drill
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bore — to tire
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. last — final
  21. season — in sport
  22. charge — in control
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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