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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. court — of law
  4. fall — the season
  5. mug — a cup
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bore — to drill
  9. court — for sport
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. content — happy
  12. court — of a king
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. bore — to tire
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mug — to rob
  18. fall — to drop
  19. content — the amount
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mug — a face

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