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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bore — to tire
  3. root — of a plant
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. content — the amount
  7. mug — a face
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. content — happy
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. march — music
  13. land — to come down
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. root — of a word
  16. land — ground
  17. march — the month
  18. mug — to rob
  19. root — the cause
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. land — a country
  23. march — the month
  24. bore — to drill

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