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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bore — to drill
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. tear — to rip
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. tear — from crying
  7. capital — money
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. capital — a city
  13. rest — a break
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bore — to tire
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — happy
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. tear — from crying
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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