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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. bore — to tire
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bore — to drill
  5. content — happy
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. row — a line
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. can — a tin
  15. chip — to eat
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. content — the amount
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. chip — for betting
  23. wind — moving air
  24. can — a tin

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