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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. tear — from crying
  3. present — the time now
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. tear — from crying
  7. content — happy
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. present — there
  10. bore — to drill
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. net — for catching
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — the animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. net — in sport
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bore — to tire
  21. content — the amount
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. net — after costs

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