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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. spell — a short time
  4. march — the month
  5. rush — hurry
  6. spell — magic
  7. bear — the animal
  8. can — a tin
  9. march — music
  10. content — the amount
  11. march — the month
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. rash — a series
  14. bore — to drill
  15. can — to be able to
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. can — a tin
  19. content — happy
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bear — the animal
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. rash — hasty
  24. spell — letters

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