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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pop — soda
  5. root — of a word
  6. content — the amount
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. last — final
  10. content — happy
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pop — music
  13. root — the cause
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. root — of a plant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bore — to tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. chair — a leader
  22. last — finally
  23. tube — the underground
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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