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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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Word bank
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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. content — the amount
  4. spell — a short time
  5. content — happy
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. mug — a cup
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. mug — a face
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. spell — letters
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bore — to tire
  22. mug — to rob
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pitcher — a jug

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