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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 116 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — to point toward
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. face — part of the head
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. content — the amount
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. prune — to trim
  20. content — happy
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bore — to drill
  23. kick — in football
  24. game — wild animals

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