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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bore — to tire
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. board — a committee
  7. spring — of water
  8. bore — to drill
  9. perch — the fish
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. staff — employees
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. staff — employees
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. spring — the season
  21. board — to get on
  22. staff — a stick
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. content — the amount

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