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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. object — to protest
  3. foot — a measure
  4. season — of the year
  5. content — happy
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bore — to drill
  9. wound — an injury
  10. object — an aim
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. object — a thing
  13. content — the amount
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. season — in sport
  17. bulb — for light
  18. present — the time now
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. present — there
  24. bore — to tire

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