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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  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. drill — the tool
  2. content — happy
  3. row — a line
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. mug — a cup
  7. snap — to click
  8. dip — to sink
  9. drill — a practice
  10. mug — to rob
  11. drill — army training
  12. bore — to drill
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. row — to paddle
  15. present — the time now
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. present — a gift
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. mug — a face
  21. content — the amount
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. present — there
  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