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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. land — a country
  7. bore — to tire
  8. present — there
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bore — to drill
  11. content — happy
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. present — the time now
  14. swing — music
  15. land — ground
  16. shower — to wash
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. present — a gift
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. land — to come down
  24. arm — part of the body

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