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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 ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. net — in sport
  3. content — happy
  4. net — for catching
  5. bore — to drill
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. mug — a face
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. pop — music
  10. file — a document
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pop — to visit
  14. content — the amount
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pop — soda
  17. file — a tool
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. net — after costs
  23. bore — to tire
  24. file — a line of people

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