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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 120 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bore — to drill
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rest — what's left
  6. last — to go on
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. wound — an injury
  9. root — of a plant
  10. object — a thing
  11. root — of a word
  12. board — a committee
  13. last — final
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. root — the cause
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — an aim
  18. bore — to tire
  19. content — the amount
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. last — finally
  22. content — happy
  23. board — to get on
  24. rest — a break

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