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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pop — music
  3. ground — a position
  4. spell — letters
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. content — happy
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bore — to drill
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. ground — crushed
  12. pop — soda
  13. content — the amount
  14. pit — a hole
  15. spell — a short time
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. spell — magic
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bore — to tire
  21. ground — the earth
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pop — to visit
  24. perch — for a bird

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