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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  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. bore — gave birth
  2. branch — a division
  3. content — happy
  4. net — after costs
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. net — in sport
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. net — for catching
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — a safe
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — to sink
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bore — to drill
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. content — the amount
  23. toast — bread
  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