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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. drill — army training
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. can — to be able to
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. drill — a practice
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. scale — size or range
  11. content — the amount
  12. scale — in music
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. can — a tin
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. can — a tin
  18. content — happy
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bore — to tire
  23. drill — the tool
  24. sharp — clever

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