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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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 — videos and posts
  2. last — final
  3. bore — to drill
  4. content — happy
  5. bark — to shout
  6. last — to go on
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. last — finally
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. content — the amount
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bat — the animal
  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