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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. kid — child
  3. root — of a plant
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. game — a match
  6. bank — for money
  7. present — there
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — to tire
  10. content — the amount
  11. mine — for digging
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — a gift
  14. bank — of a river
  15. content — happy
  16. root — the cause
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. root — of a word
  20. game — wild animals
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bank — for money
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. game — a kind of play

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