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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. craft — a skill
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. present — a gift
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. drill — the tool
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. craft — boats
  14. fine — all right
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. present — there
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. drill — army training
  20. fine — high quality
  21. drill — a practice
  22. present — the time now
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bowl — a dish

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