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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. ball — a great time
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. swing — to play on
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bore — to drill
  8. swing — music
  9. suit — to fit
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bore — to tire
  12. content — happy
  13. content — the amount
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. suit — clothes
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. press — to push
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. shower — rain
  22. swing — in golf
  23. press — a publisher
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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