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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 124 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. roll — a cake
  3. prune — to trim
  4. roll — a list
  5. bore — to drill
  6. cue — a hint
  7. season — in sport
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. content — happy
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cue — a signal
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. hand — help
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bulb — for light
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bore — to tire

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