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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. content — happy
  3. swing — music
  4. toast — bread
  5. object — to protest
  6. drill — a practice
  7. object — a thing
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bore — to drill
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. object — an aim
  16. drill — the tool
  17. chip — for betting
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. content — the amount
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chip — to eat
  24. drill — army training

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