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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bore — to drill
  5. track — a path
  6. can — a tin
  7. track — a song
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. content — the amount
  11. game — wild animals
  12. can — a tin
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. ground — crushed
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bore — to tire
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. content — happy
  21. track — to keep track
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. cold — the Cold War

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