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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  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. bore — to tire
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. present — there
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rule — government
  9. content — happy
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. present — the time now
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. bore — to drill
  20. rule — a law
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. vault — a safe
  23. present — a gift
  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