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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bore — to tire
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. date — the fruit
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bore — to drill
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. club — for dancing
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. club — a group
  16. lean — thin
  17. club — for golf
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bear — the animal
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bear — the animal
  24. content — the amount

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