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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  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. root — of a word
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. vault — a safe
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. land — a country
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. land — ground
  15. root — the cause
  16. land — to come down
  17. content — the amount
  18. rash — a series
  19. content — happy
  20. kick — in football
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. root — of a plant
  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