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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. content — the amount
  5. deal — to handle
  6. mate — to breed
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mate — a partner
  10. net — in sport
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. net — for catching
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bat — the animal
  24. content — happy

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