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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. swing — in golf
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. content — the amount
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. kick — in football
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bore — to drill
  18. swing — music
  19. content — happy
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. swing — to play on
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. squash — to crush
  24. wake — a trail

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