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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. game — a match
  3. bore — to tire
  4. last — finally
  5. board — to get on
  6. swing — to play on
  7. last — to go on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. face — to point toward
  10. board — a committee
  11. net — in sport
  12. bore — to drill
  13. net — after costs
  14. swing — music
  15. face — part of the head
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. face — to confront
  19. net — for catching
  20. swing — in golf
  21. last — final
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. bore — gave birth

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