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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bat — the animal
  3. saw — the tool
  4. content — the amount
  5. game — wild animals
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bore — to drill
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. tube — a container
  20. game — a match
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. content — happy
  24. bore — to tire

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