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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. cell — a phone
  3. capital — a city
  4. mug — a face
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. bore — to tire
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mug — to rob
  11. content — the amount
  12. cell — in biology
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mug — a cup
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. content — happy
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. stock — shares
  19. capital — money
  20. bore — to drill
  21. stock — goods
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. land — ground
  24. cell — in a prison

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