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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — electric
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. ball — a great time
  6. current — of water
  7. bore — to drill
  8. content — the amount
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a dance
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rule — government
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. content — happy
  17. wind — moving air
  18. field — for sport
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wind — moving air
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. rule — a law

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