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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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 — videos and posts
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. stand — to bear
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. content — happy
  7. mine — for digging
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bore — to tire
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. snap — to click
  18. chip — for betting
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bore — to drill
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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