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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. content — the amount
  3. mine — for digging
  4. present — there
  5. dip — to sink
  6. kick — in football
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. present — the time now
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bore — to drill
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — happy
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. wound — an injury
  23. present — a gift
  24. coach — a trainer

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