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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. content — happy
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. mine — for digging
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. perch — the fish
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bore — to tire
  16. content — the amount
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. degree — an amount
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pass — a permit
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. perch — for a bird

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