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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 116 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pop — music
  3. tube — a container
  4. pop — to visit
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. tube — the underground
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pop — soda
  14. bore — to drill
  15. content — the amount
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. row — a line
  19. spring — a coil
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. content — happy
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. content — videos and posts

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