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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bear — the animal
  3. content — happy
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. branch — a division
  6. content — the amount
  7. current — of water
  8. game — a match
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kid — to tease
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. kid — child
  13. kick — in football
  14. game — wild animals
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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